Important Dates for Members Mark these dates on your calendar to make the most of your NSHSS membership. May 15 Student Council applications due (deadline extended) May 1 Annual Scholar's Day Celebration - U.S. Senate Caucus Room, Washington, DC. May 1 Academic Paper Awards Competition Submission deadline: Guidelines and Application Previous Winners June 1 (deadline extended) Scholar's Journal summer edition article submission deadline: Guidelines August 1 Presidential Classroom/NSHSS Academic Scholarship Deadline: Application October 1 Fall 2004 - Submit online application for member scholarships in the member section of the website Mr. Nobel is challenging NSHSS members to voice their opinions on important issues in our new program called Scholars' Think Tank - The Voice of Youth. This program will focus on your fears, dislikes, concerns, suggestions, solutions, and hopes for world betterment. In the coming months, we will work on problems and solutions that you identify, and Mr. Nobel will personally present the information we gather to decision makers--business executives, politicians, the media, and world leaders at the United Nations. Your voice needs to be heard. Take this opportunity to speak out! NEW Scholarship -- NSHSS announces a new scholarship for high school students, the Robert P. Sheppard Leadership Award for outstanding initiative in service activities. This $1,000 scholarship recognizes one student per year who demonstrates exceptional initiative in leading and mobilizing peers and the community in volunteer efforts. This scholarship has been established in the name of the late Robert Sheppard, an NSHSS vice president who dedicated his life to helping others. We are pleased to name Folasade Odeniyi, of Bodine High School in Philadelphia, as the first recipient of this award for her leadership in her school's Larry Mohr project to help the homeless and her efforts to mobilize aid for the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Look for guidelines on this award in the May update. NSHSS Scholarship Recipients for Spring 2004 have been selected (click here). Winners' profiles will be posted in the May update. We are excited to roll out a new program designed to help our members connect with each other. Features for members only include: Topical Bulletin Boards - a forum for ongoing discussions among members Instant Chat - talk in real time with other members online Whether you are looking for someone attending the same college, or with the same career interests, or just want to chat and make new friends around the world, visit the Member Connection Section.   Apply for Student Council - 2004-05 NSHSS Student Council members are being been selected and will be announced in the May update. Council members are entering college freshmen who act as mentors for high school students by providing advice and feedback on all aspects of the organization. We look forward to introducing our new council members next month. There is still time to apply - we have extended the deadline to May 15 for seniors to apply for the student council. Apply here. Scholarship Search Start with FastWeb College freshman Stuart Burton shared his successful scholarship search experience with our members in a fall update. He wanted to make sure that new members follow his lead in securing financial aid. He writes, "I hope other seniors read my piece about FastWeb because it actually REALLY worked for me! Without the help from FastWeb for all the wonderful scholarships, I would never have been able to go to Longwood. It has been a great experience!" He wrote last fall: "I want to say that FastWeb is absolutely THE best site for obtaining scholarship info. The FastWeb site is good because it asks the right questions to get your background--from personal interests to grades to proposed majors. The site does a super job at matching up students to colleges and scholarship matches! Because of FastWeb, I was able to receive a FULL RIDE for freshman year to Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, including scholarships from Best Buy, Target, and the Bailey Family Foundation." If you would like to be considered for the monthly Member Showcase, click here. Beatrice Monica Bowen Coral Reef Senior High School Miami, Florida "I care very much about the academic and social future of children in the United States. I believe in encouragement, cooperation, and dedication. Only by working together can we truly make great strides as human beings." Kermeche Leshon Brown St. Helena Central High Greensburg, LA "I am a very caring person. I love to help others in need. I am a hardworking and dedicated student. I like to laugh and put a smile on others face as well." Zachary High Dekalb High School Waterloo, Indiana "I've overcome obstacles with a lot of hard work and determination. Along the way I've won several awards and had several accomplishments. I couldn't have done it without the help of my teachers and my family." Achyut Upendra Sompura University High School Tucson, Arizona "I hope to continue participating in the visual and performing arts so that I may one day write a book, act in a film, and become the next Da Vinci. I also hope to go to medical school so that I may further my interest and learning in biology and archaeology. The rest will be history." Jennifer Ann Winikus Thornton High and Bollman Tech Thornton, Colorado "How I hope to make difference: I feel I can help design something that will make life easier and give the future a chance for a more prosperous environment." Do you have exciting news about your college plans to share with your fellow NSHSS members? If so, please click here to announce your college acceptance. Click here to see which members are going to your college. If you dreamed of acceptance to an Ivy League school but were disappointed to receive the thin envelope, take heart. You might want to consider some points from an article by Jay Mathews published in "The Washington Post". Claes Nobel School of Distinction Awarded to Indiana Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Humanities Muncie, Indiana www.bsu.edu/web/academy/index.htm Congratulations to Indiana Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Humanities on being selected for the April Claes Nobel School of Distinction award and to Executive Director Dr. Tracy Cross. NSHSS member Mira Cubelic Miller nominated her school for its dedication to both academic excellence and good citizenship. Indiana Academy is a state funded, college-preparatory scholarship school located on the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana. Gifted students from all over the state are able to take advantage of the rigorous curriculum taught by outstanding faculty. Education, housing, and meals are provided to students at no cost to their parents. Students have access to the Ball State University campus, library, computer labs, wellness facilities and numerous other programs. The graduation rate is 100 percent. NSHSS salutes the focus on creating not only scholars, but good citizens. Each student completes at least 50 hours of community service, and 30 hours of service in the Muncie area. The philosophy of The Indiana Academy holds that providing student with such extraordinary educational opportunities also brings a responsibility that the students "will subsequently function as good citizens, discharging their public as well as private responsibilities with distinction... the Indiana Academy is dedicated to inspiring and challenging highly gifted young adults to reach their full personal potential with the framework of the common good." Visit the NSHSS Scholar's Store featuring great recognition items, such as honor cords and lapel pins, available only to members. Our newest recognition item is the honor medallion, which displays the Society crest. Click here to shop or log into the Member Section of the website.  Please answer our April survey question. In our March survey, John Kerry surged ahead of George Bush at the end of the survey period, with 36 percent for Kerry and 27 percent for Bush. Ralph Nader jumped up in our poll, but we suspect a Nader instigator was at work. This is not "American Idol." Please vote only once. Washington D.C. - Annual Scholar's Day and Member Event Our scholar's celebration is almost here! On May 1st, 2004, NSHSS hosts Scholar's Day in the Senate Caucus Room in the U.S. Senate Building honoring our 2003-04 scholarship winners. Student members, partners, and advisory board members will gather from around the country to recognize outstanding students and celebrate academic excellence. The National Society of High School Scholars signed a formal partnership agreement with the Boy Scouts of America on March 11th, 2004 at the BSA headquarters in Irving, Texas. This partnership aims to utilize the Venturing and Explorer programs of the BSA to provide additional benefits to both male and female NSHSS members in leadership development and career exploration. This partnership will also allow BSA leaders to nominate eligible students for membership in the NSHSS. Mr. Nobel said, "The National Society of High School Scholars is proud to partner with the Boy Scouts of America. There are many opportunities for the fine young men and women of NSHSS to get involved in exciting programs and career exploration through BSA Venturing and Explorers. The Boy Scout tradition of excellence and service is a wonderful fit for our mission of bringing the best students together from around the world." More details on how NSHSS members can get involved will be announced next month. Roy Williams, Chief Scout Executive (pictured here with Mr. Claes Nobel), says of the partnership, "The Boy Scouts of America has a long history of helping young men and women reach their fullest potential both inside and outside the classroom. We look forward to working with the National Society of High School Scholars to help the youth of our nation be the best they can be."