So You Want to be an SSO?
Posted by Shawn Hann on Tuesday, November 15, 2011
What is an SSO you may ask? Well, it stands for State Student Officer and essentially it's like being a thespian officer for the entire state of Colorado! Who's eligible? Any current 9-11 graders who are officially inducted as a thespian, that's who. How long are you on the board for? Until you graduate highschool, so once you're in, you're in.
Well, enough of this nonsense, let me talk to you about what being an SSO is actually like. In fact, let me tell you my SSO story. For those of you who don't know me, hi, I'm Marlo and I'm a Thespian. Anyways, freshman year at conference I noticed a group of kids who were frequently on stage, kind of helping out, talking a bit, and running things. I always wondered to myself, who are those strange people? Turns out, they were SSO's, but I had no idea at the time. Sophomore year rolls around and my good friend Eli Carpenter tells me he's an SSO, and I'm like, "Those kids on stage at conference?" and he's like, "Yep, yep, yep, that's me, but actually we do so much more." Okay, well the conversation didn't really go like that, but essentially, after conference sophomore year I decided to apply. So, I guess this brings me back to my point what does an SSO do? An SSO is an advocate for theatre around the state and their community. One of the first jobs for the SSO board each year is to go to Colorado's Arts Advocacy Day at the Capital and talk about why the arts are so important in our schools and in our lives. After that, the SSO's job gets a bit more complicated. As an SSO an integral part of the job is to help plan convention for the following year (so for our board 2012), plan workshops for middle-school and high-school convention, help out in whatever way at convention, help adjudicate shows for state, support local and regional theatre as a board, support students with a passion for the arts in any way shape or form, help other schools create Thespian troupes and attend state, and most importantly be open for any questions or concerns from the community.
How do I apply? Well, it's easy. All you have to do is fill out this form with a letter of recommendation from your sponsor (arts teacher or Ms. Hann) and the board will decide the following years SSO's at a meeting http://www.cothespians.com/documents/11SSOworkablepdf.pdf (copy paste link since it's a pdf). The deadline is 2/1/2012 and there are usually two DSA representatives so there is one spot open. How often do the SSO's meet? Around once every two months, but during the month before and during convention several meetings take place. The SSO's also organize group events to go to the theatre and other events together (these are not mandatory, but highly suggested).
Being an SSO is a great way to get to know other kids with the same passion as you around the community and I highly suggest applying if you're at all interested in advocating for the arts in our state, plus convention is free! Sorry, just an added bonus I thought I'd throw in there. If you're not sure ask me any questions or check out the SSO's at state and see if it's something you want to do. Remember applications are due at the beginning of February so make a decision soon!
-Marlo Berberian
Well, enough of this nonsense, let me talk to you about what being an SSO is actually like. In fact, let me tell you my SSO story. For those of you who don't know me, hi, I'm Marlo and I'm a Thespian. Anyways, freshman year at conference I noticed a group of kids who were frequently on stage, kind of helping out, talking a bit, and running things. I always wondered to myself, who are those strange people? Turns out, they were SSO's, but I had no idea at the time. Sophomore year rolls around and my good friend Eli Carpenter tells me he's an SSO, and I'm like, "Those kids on stage at conference?" and he's like, "Yep, yep, yep, that's me, but actually we do so much more." Okay, well the conversation didn't really go like that, but essentially, after conference sophomore year I decided to apply. So, I guess this brings me back to my point what does an SSO do? An SSO is an advocate for theatre around the state and their community. One of the first jobs for the SSO board each year is to go to Colorado's Arts Advocacy Day at the Capital and talk about why the arts are so important in our schools and in our lives. After that, the SSO's job gets a bit more complicated. As an SSO an integral part of the job is to help plan convention for the following year (so for our board 2012), plan workshops for middle-school and high-school convention, help out in whatever way at convention, help adjudicate shows for state, support local and regional theatre as a board, support students with a passion for the arts in any way shape or form, help other schools create Thespian troupes and attend state, and most importantly be open for any questions or concerns from the community.
How do I apply? Well, it's easy. All you have to do is fill out this form with a letter of recommendation from your sponsor (arts teacher or Ms. Hann) and the board will decide the following years SSO's at a meeting http://www.cothespians.com/documents/11SSOworkablepdf.pdf (copy paste link since it's a pdf). The deadline is 2/1/2012 and there are usually two DSA representatives so there is one spot open. How often do the SSO's meet? Around once every two months, but during the month before and during convention several meetings take place. The SSO's also organize group events to go to the theatre and other events together (these are not mandatory, but highly suggested).
Being an SSO is a great way to get to know other kids with the same passion as you around the community and I highly suggest applying if you're at all interested in advocating for the arts in our state, plus convention is free! Sorry, just an added bonus I thought I'd throw in there. If you're not sure ask me any questions or check out the SSO's at state and see if it's something you want to do. Remember applications are due at the beginning of February so make a decision soon!
-Marlo Berberian