NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Joe Dziuba’s approach to student leadership can be seen in a seemingly minor decision: he moved up the deadline for a school banner by two days.
The banner was being prepared for New Brunswick High School’s Heart of the Herd event. Students had originally been expected to complete it by the day of the event, but Dziuba, their adviser, wanted them to understand that a deadline should leave room for the unexpected.
A student becoming ill, he explained, could quickly turn a last-minute plan into a missed commitment. For Dziuba, the lesson was not simply about finishing a piece of schoolwork. It was about recognizing that individual choices affect other people.
That emphasis on responsibility has now earned Dziuba the 2026-27 High School New Jersey Advisor of the Year award from the New Jersey Association of Student Councils.
A leadership lesson in everyday decisions
The award recognizes a high school adviser whose contribution extends beyond arranging activities. According to the association, the honour is intended for an educator who helps students build the judgment, confidence and practical skills needed to lead in their schools and communities.
Dziuba’s message to students centres on the difference between holding a leadership title and behaving like a leader. In his view, responsibility has to be visible in a person’s actions, not merely written in a job description or election result.
“There are expectations, right? There is this culture of accountability,” Dziuba said. “Just because the words are there, your actions may not necessarily support that. So, we talk about: Are you being a leader? Are you playing leader?”
The banner deadline became one example of how he puts that philosophy into practice. By requiring students to plan ahead, he gave them a chance to think through the consequences of delay and to consider how their work affects a larger group.
Three roles, one focus
Dziuba, 35, has spent 13 years teaching mathematics in New Brunswick. He also coaches the boys soccer team, a role he assumed in 2020, while serving as a student council adviser.
Although those positions have different day-to-day responsibilities, Dziuba sees them as connected. A classroom, a soccer field and a student council meeting each provide opportunities for young people to practise decision-making, follow through on commitments and learn from the results of their actions.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Educator | Joe Dziuba |
| School | New Brunswick High School |
| Teaching subject | Mathematics |
| Years teaching in New Brunswick | 13 |
| Soccer coaching role began | 2020 |
| Award | 2026-27 High School New Jersey Advisor of the Year |
A statewide distinction
The New Jersey Association of Student Councils gives the award to one outstanding high school adviser and one middle school adviser. Candidates are nominated by their principals and student council presidents, after which the association’s state officers review the submissions and select the recipients.
The process places students and school leaders at the centre of the recognition. It also reflects the breadth of an adviser’s work: not just supervising events, but helping students develop the habits required to work with others and accept responsibility when plans do not go perfectly.
Dziuba’s high school award carries an additional step. He will become New Jersey’s nominee for the regional and national Warren E. Shull Advisor of the Year awards. The source material does not indicate when those selections will be made or whether he will advance beyond the state nomination.
What students are being asked to learn
The principles behind Dziuba’s teaching are straightforward, but they are demanding in practice. Students are expected to recognize that other people may depend on them, to prepare before a deadline and to take ownership of the consequences when they fall short.
- Plan early enough to account for unexpected problems.
- Match leadership claims with dependable actions.
- Understand how individual decisions affect a team or school community.
- Accept responsibility rather than treating leadership as a title alone.
Those lessons can be applied to a banner, a student event, a classroom assignment or a team commitment. In each setting, the central question remains the same: whether a student is simply occupying a leadership position or actively meeting the obligations that come with it.
For New Brunswick High School, the state award offers recognition of an adviser whose work is woven through several parts of school life. For Dziuba, the honour follows the same principle he asks students to practise: leadership is demonstrated over time, through preparation, accountability and the willingness to be responsible for the people counting on you.
