Important Dates for Members Mark these dates on your calendar to make the most of your NSHSS membership. April 10: Student Council Application deadline for 2004-5: Application 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 May 1: Scholar's Journal summer edition article submission deadline: Guidelines August 1: Presidential Classroom/NSHSS Academic Scholarship Deadline: Application 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! Apply for Student Council - 2004-05 If you are a graduating senior, you can apply for a terrific leadership position as a member of the NSHSS Student Council. 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. Student council members are invited to the Scholar's Day celebration on May 1 in Washington DC and are welcome at all member events. If you are interested - hurry and apply - the deadline is April 10, 2004. Apply here. Current student council members. 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. Here is a look at a few of this year's acceptances. We will post more in the coming updates. The Art Institute of Chicago: Arthur Hayes, New York Columbia: Jonathan Mason, Mississippi; Maxim Pinkovskiy, New York Georgetown University: Alison Noelker, Indiana; Liam Alling, New York Johns Hopkins: Andrew Dolan, New Jersey; David Poulose, New Jersey Ohio State University: Dane Brinley, Ohio; Dustin Carter, Michigan Stanford: Jennifer Avrin, Utah The US Military Academy: Brian Vos, Iowa United States Military Academy Vanderbilt: Victor Hill, Tennessee The most comprehensive free scholarship search resource is administered by FastWeb, http://fastweb.monster.com/ib/nshss-1f. Be sure to register with FastWeb to continue to receive scholarship information while you are in college. Also visit FinAid, perhaps the best resource for student financial aid information on the Internet at: http://finaid.org/. You should find the sections "Answering Your Questions" and "Calculators" particularly useful in planning for college expenses. If you would like to be considered for the monthly Member Showcase, click here. Fateema C. Blackwell Banneker Academic High School Washington, DC "I will be a shining light to many and stand as the role model for my peers and colleagues in my near future." Hazen Nicole Buckley Paraclete High School Lancaster, California "I want to improve chemotherapy treatments and the care given to cancer patients, research the possibilities of umbilical-cord stem cells for replenishing the cells ravaged by cancer and chemotherapy." Evan M. Cate Skyview High School Vancouver, Washington "Making a difference in the world does not mean changing it completely; it means changing it so that the people whom you've touched will notice when you're gone... A dream of mine has been to be a United States Senator." Leda Grauke Bryan High School Bryan, Texas "I plan to make a difference in the world by maintaining a high profile lifestyle--juggling my pediatric profession, playing soccer, providing for a family and frequently attending church." Celeste Kristy Tia Robert M. Shoemaker High School Killeen, Texas "I want to help others, the way I've been helped and be the peacemaker in any type of conflict." Claes Nobel School of Distinction Awarded to Northport High School, Northport, New York http://www.northport.k12.ny.us/~npthscc/ We are very excited to honor Northport High School for distinction in academics and service. The Long Island school was nominated by member Michael A. Marra for its academic excellence and encouragement of social awareness in its students. Not only does Northport High provide a rigorous academic curriculum, the school has also been nationally recognized for its music education program, having been named a Grammy Signature School for three consecutive years for being among the top 50 high school music programs in the United States. Northport also offers a unique service opportunity in the club Students for 60,000, founded by Social Studies teacher Dr. Peter White. Members of this club work actively to aid the needy and homeless. One outstanding project is the club's biannual trek to help improve the lives of the impoverished in Charcaseca, Nicaragua, a city with virtually no electricity or running water. Thanks to the efforts of Northport High students there is now a school with a primitive kitchen, and newly dug wells. Look for Michael's article on this project in the summer Scholar's Journal. Congratulations to the school and Principal Irene McLaughlin for inspiring, encouraging, and motivating its students so well. NSHSS was also pleased to be able to present a plaque to Assistant Principal James O'Sullivan at a recent member event. To nominate your school for this prestigious award for excellence in academic and service, please send your name, school name, and explanation of why we should showcase your school to editor@nshss.org. If your school has a website, please include that link as well. Read more about the Nicaraguan project in the words of Michael Marra. 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. To order the medallion, please call 1-866-343-1800. Click here to shop or log into the Member Section of the website. Take our online poll and see how your opinion stacks up with your peers. CLICK HERE Please feel free to be candid in your responses. Survey results will not contain personally identifiable information. Washington D.C. - Annual Scholar's Day and Member Event 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. All members are welcome at this free event. More details will be posted on the website. Dallas, Texas Colleen Barrett, NSHSS Advisory Board Member and President of Southwest Airlines, hosted a member event at her headquarters office at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, on March 12, 2004. Southwest Airlines put together a special luncheon for members and their families. This free member event featured a scholarship winner, Mr. Nobel and Ms. Barrett as speakers, and an outstanding violin performance from NSHSS member Rachel Patrick, of Bloomington High School South in Indiana. There were also door prizes, including a pair of free round-trip airline tickets. Colleen from Southwest Airlines was a great hostess. I enjoyed hearing her speak about Southwest and the wonderful people that work with her. It was cool to meet such a powerful woman. It was very impressive for a person in her position to take time to host a luncheon for a group of high school students. Leslie Perizzo South Garland High School Orlando, Florida NSHSS members attended a member event at the Grand Lawn of the Wyndham Orlando Resort on Saturday, Feb. 28th. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Florida for members and their families to meet new friends, spend time together, celebrate success and meet Mr. Nobel. There were two scholarship presentations to NSHSS members. NSHSS partners; EF Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, People to People and Presidential Classroom were on hand to talk about their programs and how NSHSS members might participate. We were also able to present a plaque for the Claes Nobel School of Distinction to Northport High School Assistant Principal James O'Sullivan, who traveled from Long Island to participate and speak to students.