Are you planning to attend the ASCA Annual Conference, June 28-July 1, 2009, in Dallas? If so, be sure to register before March 1 for the best conference rates. Register online, or download a registration form and register by mail or fax. We've got a stellar line up of keynote and featured speakers (Louis Gossett Jr., Harry Wong, Frank Warren and Lisa Boesky) and breakout sessions guaranteed to educate, enlighten and inspire you. And if you haven't made your hotel reservations, now is the time. The Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion is the official conference hotel, although all educational sessions will be held at the convention center. Call (800) 233-1234 to reserve your room today at the rate of $159 for single or double occupancy. Mention ASCA to get this rate. Don't delay, as the hotel will sell out.

Late January once again saw an action-packed School Counselor of the Year event, presented by Naviance and ASCA. From visits with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to a trip to NASA to learn about STEM education and to AT&T to discuss Internet safety, the School Counselor of the Year winner and finalists learned, shared and advocated during their three days in Washington, D.C. The event culminated with a black-tie Gala at historic Union Station to honor the School Counselors of the Year. Watch your mail for the March/April issue of ASCA School Counselor for the full details and profiles on Julie Hartline, the 2009 School Counselor of the Year, and the nine finalists. In the meantime, watch the School Counselor of the Year video (view it on the ASCA site or on YouTube) and listen to a podcast by Tammi Mackeben, last year's winner, as she shares her experiences throughout the year.

ASCA SCENE, an online professional networking community, provides school counselors with the chance to learn from other school counselors, get advice, find answers to their questions and much more. If you haven't joined ASCA SCENE yet, you're missing out on a vaulable member benefit. Nearly 4,000 school counselors at all levels have discovered the benefits of this online educational tool. Recent discussions have included: student loan forgiveness, dealing with cutters, peer mentoring programs, school counseling notes software and much more. Don't let another day pass you by without taking advantage of this wealth of knowledge.

In order to target ASCA School Counselor advertising to your needs and let potential advertisers know the kinds of products, services, colleges, etc. that school counselors want to learn about, we'd like you to take a short five-minute survey. Thanks in advance for your time.

21st Century Skills Bullying Prevention Film Competition: ASCA has partnered with Stories of Us (USA) to establish a national competition for student films developed and produced using the Stories of Us method. The method emphasizes the inquiry process as students research the subject, collect data and build realistic timelines to explore how bullying develops, then translate their findings into short film scripts - and film selected scenes from their story. Designed for middle and high school students, the Stories of Us active learning curriculum combines a range of 21st-century literacy skills and meets English language arts and health education standards. At the same time, the curriculum promotes social cohesion and helps reduce bullying in schools. More info.

Video Competition on Dispute Resolution: The City University of New York Dispute Resolution Consortium at John Jay College of Criminal Justice-CUNY is pleased to announce the Make Talk Work® Second International Video Competition. With a grand prize of $3,000, the Make Talk Work® competition seeks submissions of short videos of up to 60 seconds using any of the themes in the 24 Make Talk Work® bookmarks. Funded by the JAMS Foundation, this project aims to increase public awareness about dispute resolution. The winning videos will be posted on YouTube, the CUNY DRC's Web sites and will be made available for workshops, conferences and public events. See sample images of the bookmarks. Submission deadline is April 17, 2009. More info.

Career Video Targets Future Fluid Power Engineers: The National Fluid Power Association has launched a new seven-minute career video, "YOUR Career in Fluid Power" and companion resource Web site to address the lack of adequately trained workers in fluid power. YOUR Career in Fluid Power is a high-energy, high-impact introduction to the industry that encourages high school and college students to consider the world of fluid power and the exciting careers available in the field. Click here to watch the new career video or visit the companion resource Web site.

Learn About Pre-College Summer Programs: Usummer.org is a non-profit pre-college programs resource for students, parents and educators. Usummer.org stands out as a site committed to listing all pre-college programs free of charge to all schools. This helps students find great programs, even at small schools who might not advertise their program. There are hundreds of pre-college programs to choose from, each with its own history, culture and costs. If you know of a pre-college summer program on a college campus for high school students not on our site, please e-mail justin@usummer.com