Know a First-rate Student Leader?
Student council advisers: Do you have a council member who demonstrates exemplary leadership abilities? Suggest he or she pursue designation as a National Student Council Distinguished Student Leader. Applicants complete a variety of tasks focused on building their leadership knowledge and improving their skills. A personal leadership portfolio, created as part of the application process, becomes a record of activities that is useful when applying to college and for scholarships. Visit www.NatStuCo.org/distinguished for details.
Your Turn to Shine
Hard work and dedication deserve recognition. NHS or NJHS advisers: Wouldn’t you like to be celebrated at the national level for your efforts? Suggest your principal nominate you for the Rynearson National Adviser of the Year program. Winners earn a plaque and $500 award. Visit www.nhs.us/rynearson or www.njhs.us/rynearson to view eligibility requirements and nomination procedures. Deadline for applications is February 15, 2018. Stand up and be recognized!
Marching into History
National Honor Society members typically dream big—and do so starting early in life. Simone Askew, an NHS alum from Fairfax High School in Virginia, is no exception. At age 6, Simone staged pretend marches while camping and dreamed of one day leading troops. Now, as the first black woman to be the U.S. Military Academy corps of cadets first captain, she holds the highest student position at West Point, overseeing some 4,400 cadets. NHS salutes this remarkable trailblazer and all NHS alumni serving our country in military service.
You’d Be Crazy to Miss This!
Let’s go wild! Join us for Leadership MaNia at the 2018 National Student Council Conference, hosted by Wayzata High School in Plymouth, MN. We’ll take leadership to an outrageously new level with motivational speakers and workshops, all offered in a setting just west of Minneapolis. This is a tremendous opportunity for your student council leaders to network with peers and prepare for their leadership positions in the 2018 school year. Save the dates, June 25–27, 2018, and plan now to be there. Visit NatStuCoConference.org for registration details.
NHS Scholarship Alert
Winter break can be an excellent time for your NHS seniors in good standing to apply for the NHS Scholarship. Be sure to access and distribute application procedures to your members by logging in at www.nhs.us/scholarship. If you’ve had members already apply, be sure to complete their recommendations and certification. (Maybe that’s something for your own winter break to-do list?) A total of 500 recipients will share the pool of $1.5 million being awarded this year, with one national honoree earning $22,650. The application deadline is January 30. The deadline for adviser, principal, and faculty recommendations is February 5.
Still Time to Lead
Our two most popular LEAD (Leadership Experience and Development) Conferences are still to come! For a monumental leadership experience, head to our nation’s capital for LEAD DC, January 26–28. The Windy City hosts our final LEAD Conference of this academic year; LEAD Chicago will blow attendees away with inspiration, February 16–18. These weekend-long events are guaranteed to energize you and your student leaders with new ideas for building positive school culture. Hurry! Registration deadlines are approaching. Visit www.leadconferences.org for dates and details.
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All National Honor Society members have access to a customized search engine of scholarship options, NHS Scholar Dollars, which can be filtered based on the membership pillars of NHS. Suggest your senior members take advantage of this unique tool to power their higher education aspirations. Urge them to visit www.nhs.us/scholardollars to discover new college financial assistance possibilities.
Look for the Gold Seal of Approval
When you, your principal, or your school is approached about a student contest, activity, or program, how do you know if it’s legitimate? Every year, the NASSP List of Approved Contests, Programs, and Activities for Students is published online to help you. A committee of principals and educators screens all listings for approval based on their educational value, financial support, organizational structure, promotional accuracy, and fair and appropriate adjudication. Those selected for listing are also given a gold seal to include on their website as proof of their acceptance by the committee. This list is available as a sortable database with filtering options. Visit www.nassp.org/contests to browse the list and let your principal know about it, too.
Dates to Remember
DECEMBER
NHS Scholarship program application available
December 18: Early-bird registration deadline for LEAD DC Conference
JANUARY
January 5: LEAD DC regular registration deadline
January 12: LEAD Chicago early-bird registration deadline
January 26-28: LEAD DC
January 30: NHS Scholarship student application deadline
January 30: NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award nominations open
FEBRUARY
February 2: LEAD Chicago regular registration deadline
February 5: NHS Scholarship recommendation deadline for advisers,principals, and other faculty
February 7: NHS/NJHS college admission planning webinar “Paying for College: Defined.” See www.nhs.us/webinar or www.njhs.us/webinar for registration.
February 15: National Council of Excellence application deadline
February 15: Rynearson National Adviser of the Year application deadline
February 16-18: LEAD Chicago