American Association of School Administrators - Awards... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 12/6/2003
Last Visited: 10/1/2004
April B. Alvarez, Hawaii | Vladimir P. Dubovskiy, Colo. | Ji (Jerry) Guo, S.C. | Jamie L. Hargrove, Tenn. | Kristian J. Henderson, Ark. | Yuji (Eugina) Huang, Ga. | Jessica N. Mann, Ala. | Brian M. Monahan, Ill. | Holly M. Walker, Nev.
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Brian M. Monahan
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Brian M. MonahanMurphysboro High School
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Brian M. Monahan
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Brian M. MonahanMurphysboro High School
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In his many leadership roles and community service activities, Brian Monahan has come across hundreds of good ideas for fundraising and service projects that would encourage and inspire other youth leaders.At age 16, he chose to share those ideas by writing and editing his own book.
Youth Groups' Guide to Fundraisers and Service Projects is Brian's first book-length manuscript.This 212-page reference guide is designed to help youth service organizations, church groups and school clubs make a difference in their communities.Brian spent hundreds of hours researching, organizing, writing and editing the book before realizing he faced one final obstacle to his goal.He had no idea how to get it published.
Undaunted, Brian returned to the library and the Internet to educate himself about the publishing industry.He learned the process for submitting a manuscript and identified publishers who might be interested in his book.He wrote and mailed dozens of submission letters.While it usually takes three months before a publisher responds, Brian had two positive inquiries within six weeks.Brian is confident he will someday see his book on the shelves of his local bookstore.Meanwhile, he continues to write the high quality essays that won him 3rd place in 2001 and then 1st place in 2003 in the Voice of Democracy Speech and Essay Contest, as well as a trip to NASA's space camp in 2002.
In addition to writing his book, Brian shares his knowledge of fundraising and service activities through three statewide leadership roles.Last year, as state editor of the Illinois Eastern-Iowa District of the Key Club, Brian created and edited a newspaper to educate other Key Club officers about volunteer opportunities and funding sources.He organized a "newspaper stuffing party" to help with a massive mailing effort to distribute the newspapers to more than 15,000 Key Clubs across the country.He also created a training guide and ran training workshops for Key Club editors from two states.
His efforts helped Brian win a highly competitive election his sophomore year as state treasurer of Key Club International, the third highest-ranking office in the state.The campaign required extensive preparation, planning and public speaking to sell his platform before thousands of voters.As treasurer, Brian was responsible for a budget of over $100,000.He also developed, produced and distributed an electronic resource guide on CD-ROM containing more than 500 fundraising ideas for local Key Club treasurers.At the same time, Brian served as district state treasurer for the Student Council, where he created the first districtwide Student Council website and launched a membership drive that increased school participation by 15 percent.
An exceptional student, Brian excels in Honors Physics and other advanced placement courses.He is a top competitor in Scholar Bowl, earning individual honors, playing on the Illinois All-South team and being named All-Conference most valuable player-four times.He has spent over 200 hours in service projects benefiting his school and community.He helped run the Special Olympics in his area and took part in the annual Toy, Coat and Food Drive to collect and deliver needed items to more than 200 underprivileged families.His efforts in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF helped garner enough donations to provide over 10,000 children with life-saving iodine.
Brian's most creative and enduring contribution to his community is his PLAY initiative, which he founded in 2003.PLAY, Promoting healthy Lifestyles and Activities for Youth, is an educational project targeting elementary school children about the importance of diet, exercise and avoiding drugs.Brian's goal is to influence children early in their lives, before they form unhealthy habits that can last a lifetime.He conducted extensive research, developed posters and flyers, recruited speakers and organized activities in proper health education and then wrote letters to dozens of schools promoting the effort.
Brian found his own youth was a disadvantage in approaching schools about the PLAY initiative.Many people simply wouldn't take a 16-year-old seriously.Brian responded by producing business cards, printing stationery and taking other steps to enhance his professional presentation.He formed a working relationship with the director of health promotions at the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand the resources available to PLAY.Soon, schools began to respond to his letters and the PLAY initiative began to take root 350 miles from home in Chicago.
Already in talks with publishers to print his first book, Brian expects to one day make his living as a professional author.He plans to study writing as an English major at a leading university and to continue honing his public speaking and presentation skills in anticipation of his first book tour.
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