Monthly Update


	Important Dates May 30, 2005 -Graduating seniors – develop leadership skills and stay involved in NSHSS by joining the Student Council. Apply for NSHSS 2005-06 Student Council: Application August 1, 2005 - Deadline to apply for the NSHSS/Presidential Classroom Scholarship ($750.00). Download the application here: 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 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 Dean William Conley of Johns Hopkins University addresses NSHSS members in the U.S. House Cannon Caucus Room. Nearly 500 members and guests gathered from 26 states to celebrate our annual NSHSS Scholar's Day on May 7, 2005, in the Cannon Caucus Room of the U.S. House of Representatives. The grand event honored our members, scholarship recipients, and Educators of Distinction as we kicked off National Scholarship Month in the U.S. Speakers included William Conley, Dean of Admissions from Johns Hopkins University, and NSHSS Chair Claes Nobel, as well as Paz Magat, participant in the World Scholar Athlete Games and the Hon. Jack Buechner, President of Presidential Classroom. NSHSS Student Council member Anya Rasulova also spoke to members. Guests were entertained by the Annandale Singers, an award-winning madrigal group from Annandale High School, Virginia, and treated to a reception following. Next month we will have the video of Dean Conley's speech posted. You can view the program and read Anya's remarks.

	College is a Time to Explore A note from Brence Pernell, NSHSS Student Council Duke University 2008 I am sure by now that most of you seniors out there are anxiously awaiting going off to college--asserting your independence, attending all the cool parties, and working on that dream of becoming an engineer, teacher, doctor, or historian. Just like you, I was excited about the same things. However, as my first year here at Duke is rapidly coming to a close, I've come to learn that there is one aspect college I think many of us forget. College is a chance for exploration, both intellectually and socially. Being open to new things, including cultures, people, interests, career choices, and so much more is something I feel is essential to truly taking advantage of what are supposed to be the best years of your life. While having a dream and having a plan are all important for future success, I've learned that strictly sticking to what you know and what you've "heard" becomes a setback in truly experiencing what I'm sure will be the many things your selected school will have to offer you. Take some classes that interest you, instead of only those ones that are fulfilling major requirements. Join the advocacy groups and service clubs you think can offer you a unique and exciting experience. Sit down one day and randomly get to know someone who might happen to be from across the world, the country, or even your home state. Just don't close up and confine yourself to the same types of people, the same types of subjects, or even the same types of food. Trust me, when you do so, you miss out on all the fun things! So, good luck to all you graduating seniors, and remember: be open to change... Bruce

	Affiliations and Conferences Dr. Susan Thurman attending a news conference in Washington D.C. on May 4, 2005, releasing the results of a ground-breaking study, "Private Scholarships Count," a new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The conference was hosted by the National Scholarship Providers Association, Scholarship America, and the Institute for Higher Education Policy. The study is the first comprehensive study of private scholarship aid. Key findings include the fact that total private scholarship aid was between $3.1 billion and $3.3 billion in 2003-04, approximately 7 percent of undergraduate students received private scholarships, with an average value of $1,982. The study is designed to help call attention to the importance of private scholarship funding. Private scholarship account for 2-3 percent of the total aid awarded nationally. You can download the report here.

Congratulations to NSHSS 2005 Scholarship recipients. To view all winners, including National Scholar Award recipients, click here. The Member Showcase will return next month.

James Brown Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship Fort Washington, Maryland

Jason Ferguson Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship Dallas, Texas

Natasa Kovacevic Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Madison Lyleroehr Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship Knoxville, Tennessee

Michael Marra Robert Sheppard Leadership Award Northport, New York


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.


	New Partner - Institute for International Sport "I am both honored and thrilled to join in partnership with Claes Nobel and the National Society of High School Scholars to offer the opportunity to all NSHSS members to participate in the fourth World Scholar-Athlete Games. Together we stand united in our commitment to the recognition and shepherding of excellence in today's global youth community." Dan Doyle, Founder & Executive Director, 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, through which 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. Tens of thousands of nominations from around the world will be received, so all interested NSHSS members are encouraged to act early and send in the application form as soon as possible. For an application, please call 401-874-5088 or email wsag@internationalsport.com. More complete information can be found on the website at www.internationalsport.com/sa2006. (Please include cover note with application indicating that you are an NSHSS scholar.) "The Scholar-Athlete Games is one of the most impressive and remarkable gatherings of young people I have ever witnessed." - Rudy Giuliani Keynote Speaker, 2003 US Scholar-Athlete Games 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 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.

	Thoughts on the College Application Process Zach Germaniuk For those of us who are seniors, perhaps there are some who can relate to the sense of relief and happiness which comes from sending that final application off in the mail, or receiving that acceptance letter in the mail or online. The fact is, the college application process is getting harder and harder each year, and from my experience I'd like to offer some advice to incoming seniors and even incoming juniors and sophomores. Read More...

	Notes on the New SAT We have been collecting comments from members who have taken the new SAT, and if you have any feedback you would like to share about it, please email editor@nshss.org. So far our members prefer the new SAT to the old, with the elimination of analogies, and have found the essay portion not too challenging. However, they would prefer more time than 25 minutes for the essay and also found the longer duration of the test a bit exhausting. Generally, college admissions offices are using the math and verbal scores as in the past. Some are using the new portion to place students in composition classes, and some will use it as a research tool to see how it correlates with student success in college. Although the perfect 1600 scores are a thing of the past, it is still possible to earn a perfect score. NSHSS member Natasa Kovacevic, a new Claes Nobel Academic Scholarship recipient, scored a perfect 2400 on the March exam. The National Council of Teachers of English recently criticized the new essay portion as a poor predictor of college performance and encouraging formulaic writing, although the College Board counters that it provides college admissions counselors with an independently authenticated sample of a student's writing to supplement college personal essays. Check out opposing viewpoints at http://www.ncte.org/announce/120541.htm and from College Board http://www.collegeboard.com/press/article/0,3183,45557,00.html


	Claes Nobel School of Distinction Awarded to "Newsweek's" Top-Ranked U.S. High School We are pleased to highlight the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School (IBS) in Irondale, Alabama, as the May Claes Nobel School of Distinction. The school has been recognized as one of three schools in the world for its exemplary AP European History Program by the College Board's AP Report to the Nation 2005. The school is also now ranked first in the nation in "Newsweek's" recent survey of public high schools in the U.S. The ranking is based on the number of AP and/or IB tests taken by all students at a school in 2004, divided by the number of graduating seniors. The ratio is a useful predictor of students' readiness for college level work. Congratulations to the Alabama school and to NSHSS member Loren Knarr, a senior at "Newsweek's" highest ranking school. Click here for the entire list compiled by "Newsweek"; find your school's ranking. 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 Last month, we surveyed member about an issue that students will face when they enter college and which has recently received a lot of attention--is grade inflation. Our roving college reporter Robert Rowe, commented on the highly-publicized matter at Princeton which instituted a policy in the fall of 2004 restricting each department to awarding A's to no more than 35 percent of its students each semester. Of our respondents, 77% indicated that they did not approve of the policy of colleges limiting the percentage of A's that a department can give each term. For the end of this academic year, we would like to survey our members about their summer plans. Let us know what you are up to this summer.