Scholarship Deadlines

  • Dealine Near: May 1, 2005 - Academic Paper Awards competition: Application

  • May 30, 2005 - Deadline to apply for NSHSS 2005-06 Student Council: Application

    August 1, 2005 - NSHSS/Presidential Classroom Public Service Scholarship.  NSHSS members who have attended a Presidential Classroom Program are eligible to apply for an academic scholarship of $750.00: Application

  • November 1, 2005 - Deadline to apply for NSHSS Academic Scholarships online in the member area of the website. See information at www.nshss.org/scholarships

    Michael Marra
    Northport
    High School,
    Northport, NY

    Scholarship Recipient Announcement
    NSHSS congratulates Northport High School (NY) student Michael Marra on receiving the 2005 Robert P. Sheppard Leadership Award for his initiative and dedication to community service. Michael leads the 350-member service club STUDENTS FOR 60,000, which provides aid and support for the needy locally and internationally.  He has made 3 trips to Nicaragua to build homes, wells, and schools for those in desperate need.  He also coordinates with 6 local elementary schools to mentor children in the "Read for those in Need" program. Mike will attend Fordham University, and we know that he will continue to give of himself in his new college community. We applaud the wonderful efforts of our members to help others, and were truly astounded at the number of deserving applications for this award.

    Please visit FastWeb to search for more scholarships. The members-only site of the NSHSS also has other scholarship resources.

    Scholar's Day Celebration in Washington, DC
    Join us at our annual NSHSS Scholar's Day Celebration on May 7, 2005, in the Cannon Caucus Room of the U.S. House of Representatives in our nation's capital. The grand event honors our members, scholarship recipients, and Educators of Distinction as we kick off National Scholarship Month in the U.S. Speakers include the Dean of Admissions from Johns Hopkins University and NSHSS Chair Claes Nobel, among others. For more information, contact rsvp@nshss.org.

     
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    National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
    The National Society of High School Scholars and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) have joined forces in a new a partnership to encourage members of NSHSS to pursue leadership development. NOLS is the premier teacher of outdoor skills and leadership, offering courses in the world's most spectacular wilderness settings. NSHSS members receive an automatic $150 partial scholarship for NOLS summer courses as well as a program application fee waiver in recognition of the academic and leadership contributions they already make at their schools and in their communities. NSHSS members can also apply for one of two scholarships for the summer program. For information, click here (download PDF).

    "Founded by Claes Nobel, the mission of the National Society of High School Scholars is to recognize academic excellence and to encourage members to apply their unique talents, vision, and potential for the betterment of themselves and the world. It's hard to imagine a better match for NOLS!"--Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director

    New Partner -Institute for International Sport
    A new partnership has been forged between the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) and the Institute for International Sport (www.internationalsport.com), where all members of the NSHSS will receive an automatic nomination to participate in the famed 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games (WSAG), heralded as the most unique sport and cultural event in the world. The Games, administered by the Institute, will be held on the campus of The University of Rhode Island and in Newport, Rhode Island, from June 24 - July 2, 2006, and will bring together more than 2,000 talented scholar-athletes and scholar-artists from over 160 countries, and all 50 U.S. states.
    The new partnership will be featured in our May monthly update, so please keep posted


    NSHSS has formed a partnership with the publisher of My College Guide, a publication geared toward high-ability, college-bound high school students who have just begun their college search. The publishers will provide members of NSHSS with a free copy, either in a print or electronic format, of its next edition upon request. Members can begin their college search now by exploring the My College Guide web site and by requesting FREE college information online. There is plenty of useful advice including senior pitfalls, college advice from admissions professionals, and planning for all aspects of college life.


    NSHSS member LCpl Joel Pipes in his barracks in Iraq.
    NSHSS Member Serves in Iraq
    NSHSS member LCpl Joel H. Pipes, of Timpson, Texas, is currently deployed in Fallujah with the Marine 1st Division 3/5 India Company Weapons Platoon and is scheduled to return home this month. His unit was the first in Jalon, and he was there to help with the Iraqi election. His unit was featured on Fox News recently as the Heroes of Indian Company. Joel will be returning to the States with several medals and will attend college when he leaves military service in 3 years to become a law official and a paramedic. We wish him and his family the best.

    If you would like to be
    considered for the monthly
    Member Showcase, please
    click here    .




    Mariah Arispe
    San Antonio, Texas
    Providence High School

    "My philosophy in a nut shell is that we all should try our best at everything, from school, to work, to taking care of people. Life is a matter of finding where one's deepest passions and the world's deepest needs intersect, and then living out of that intersection."



    Geraldine Ann Chi
    Chantilly, Virginia
    Chantilly High School

    "Life is full of meaning--just look around you."



    Cornelius Finley
    North Mesquite High School
    Mesquite, Texas

    "What has a man if he has no integrity, credibility, and sense of obligation to progress mentally?"



    Michael George Keating
    Cape May Court House, New Jersey
    Middle Township High School

    "An honest man has nothing to fear."



    Jodi-Kaye Wade
    Blanche Ely High School
    Lauderdale Lakes, Florida

    "There is a wonderful, mystical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else."




    Visit the NSHSS Scholar's store and check out our selection of great recognition items like honor cords and lapel pins, available only to members. Shop in the member section of the web site or print out an order form.




    Connect with other members in the NSHSS forums. Chat with members from around the globe. Visit the Member Connection Section.

    Dallas Teachers
    Dallas area Educators of Distinction with Claes Nobel
    Dallas Texas -

    Our most recent member event was hosted by Advisory Board member Colleen Barrett, President of Southwest Airlines, at her headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Colleen and her staff provided a mouth-watering lunch at our member program for nearly 300 members, guests, and Educators of Distinction. Ms. Barrett encouraged students to "follow their passion," advising them not to accept a position merely for money or prestige. She emphasized that we all need to love what we do in order to be happy. The Dean of Admissions from SMU also spoke to the group, as did NSHSS Chair Claes Nobel, who personally presented a Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship to Dallas home-schooled student Jason Ferguson and recognized several area teachers selected by members as important role models.


    Claes Nobel Scholarship Recipient Jason Ferguson with Claes Nobel and SMU Dean of Admissions Ron Moss


    "I was deeply moved by Mr. Nobel's speech, and my first reaction was to ask, "What can I do? How can I help make a difference?" - Jessica Miltenberger, Georgetown, Texas Read Jessica's comments about the event in Dallas and a summary of remarks from SMU Dean of Admissions Ron Moss.

    Excerpt from remarks by Ron Moss, Dean of Admissions at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas
    Click here for video of the Dean's speech

    Students often wonder who decides whether a student is accepted to the college of their dreams. The decision makers vary from institution to institution but can be comprised of admissions staff, faculty and faculty committees, and sometimes even students or alumni. The goal of any admissions team is to admit a well-rounded class. They want to admit a few geniuses, a few eccentrics, as well as lots of leaders and doers.

    Your admissions application is a portrait of who you have become. You should try to represent all of your interests and accomplishments. Remember that colleges need people who do and contribute, not merely the leaders. And, always be sure to check your applications essay very carefully for errors.


    Katherine Van Schaik and Claes Nobel at member event on Harvard campus
    Council Corner - Advice from the NSHSS Student Council on AP Exams

    Katherine Van Schaik is a member of the NSHSS Student Council and a Harvard freshman. From her sophomore to her senior years of high school, she took 12 AP exams in all subject areas and earned a perfect score of 5 on every exam. Some AP exams she took after completing a class; other exams she took independently after learning the material on her own. The College Board named her the top female AP Scholar in her home state of South Carolina.

    Tips to Do Your Best on AP Exams


    Paul Poore,
    Director of Harare International School in Zimbabwe,
    AAIE 2005 Superintendent of the Year
    Affiliations and Conferences

    NSHSS is pleased to hold membership in AAIE, the Association for the Advancement of International Education, through which we gain valuable information and guidance about how to better serve our members in international schools. Staff members recently attended the AAIE annual conference in Boston, where we had the pleasure of meeting Paul Poore, AAIE 2005 Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Poore is the Director of the Harare International School in Zimbabwe and has been an international educator for 26 years. Earning advanced degrees from the University of New York at Albany and the University of New Hampshire, his overseas career has taken him to positions in Germany, Greece, Japan, Nepal, and Zimbabwe. We are privileged to post his speech from the 2005 AAIE conference, which sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for educators abroad. Those members who may be considering a future in education overseas should find his remarks particularly useful.

    AAIE Distinguished Overseas Lecture, 2005
    Culture: The Space between the Bars, the Silence between the Notes

    Excerpt from Paul Poore's speech:
    "Each year I take our seniors on a five day sailing safari, the ostensible points of which are to learn to sail, to work as a team, and to experience the bush on foot. The real goals and outcomes of the trip are that we leave our music behind and become aware of the sound of the wind and the nighttime roar of the lions, we witness the overwhelming beauty of Africa, and we grapple with the palpable reality that we are a very small part of a very magnificent scheme. We purposely talk about the very things these students seldom get to talk about: what their lives mean, who their heroes are, how they feel so far removed from civilization and so much closer to quiet hum of the universe."

    Complete text of speech...


    Claes Nobel School of Distinction Award
    Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences



    NSHSS congratulates the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences on being selected for this month's Claes Nobel School of Distinction. The school was nominated by member Marcin Tomkowiak. This Chicago public school attracts students from all parts of the city and is the only one of its kind in the Midwest, offering a unique opportunity to urban students who are talented in science and mathematics. The school serves as a model not only for its innovative curriculum, but also for dropout prevention and exceptional student motivation. Marcin describes CHSAS as a public school with a private school feeling. He says that "With 75 acres of farmland, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences stands out from Chicago's urban setting; aside from a standard curriculum, every student takes courses in agricultural sciences and business and follows one of seven agricultural pathways. It's an intellectual garden for aspiring veterinarians, biologists and pure nature lovers." Also students admitted to CHSAS become members of the National FFA organization, the largest youth organization in the United States.

    To nominate your school for consideration, please email Dr. Susan Thurman at susan.thurman@nshss.org with an explanation of why your school deserves this recognition. Be sure to include your name and contact information, the school's name and city, and a link to the school's website.

    Scholar's Think Tank
    The Voice of Youth

    Robert Rowe
    Princeton University 2007
    "Starting in the fall of 2004, Princeton instituted a policy stating that each department can give A's to no more than 35 percent of its students each semester."
    Read more...

    Last month, we surveyed members on their most important reasons for attending college and those turned out to be: preparing for a professional career and developing intellectually. This month we are addressing an issue that students will face when they enter college and which has recently received a lot of attention--grade inflation. Our roving college reporter Robert Rowe, comments on the highly-publicized matter at Princeton, and we would like to find out how you feel about this issue. If you have comments about grade inflation, please send them to: editor@nshss.org.