Blog
Why Every Student Council Should Apply for NCOE Awards
Applications for the 2024 National Council of Excellence (NCOE) Awards—representing council activities and projects from January 1 to December 31, 2023—opened last month. To understand the benefits of applying for and receiving such recognition, we spoke with Shawn Freeman, a student council adviser at Ada High School in Ada, OK, and the executive director of...
Student Leadership
Ensuring Safety at Football Games and After-school Events
An exciting part of fall is the return of Friday night football. But tragically, many communities across the country have already been shattered by gun violence this school year on far too many Fridays. While school shootings continue to be a painfully regular occurrence, we hope that Americans refuse to become complacent in accepting this...
School Safety
Four Ways to Ensure Honor Society Induction Ceremonies Run Smoothly
McAnally Middle School in Fort Worth, TX, inducted its first group of National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) students last spring. Kate Thomas, the NJHS adviser and an eighth-grade science teacher at the school, learned a lot that first year about how to run a chapter and, more specifically, how to put together a smooth induction...
School Leadership, Student Leadership
Partnerships Open New Job Opportunities to High School Students
At Harrison High School in Harrison, AR, we are committed to ensuring that every graduate leaves our school as one of “the three Es: enrolled, employed, or enlisted.” This approach has led to a series of initiatives that have transformed our approach to education and career readiness. (more…)
Education Technology and Innovation, School Leadership
Five Tips for New NHS Advisers
Congratulations! You are now an NHS adviser. At this moment, you are probably filled with a variety of emotions—from excited and anxious to overwhelmed and terrified at the thought of beginning your new role. Don’t panic! You are not alone. I must confess that years ago, I too (along with most other NHS advisers I...
School Leadership, Student Leadership
2023 NHS Scholarship Finalists Reflect on Award Experience
Being named an NHS scholarship finalist is a prestigious honor that comes with the obvious perk of dollars toward a college education. But did you know that finalists also receive the trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C.? Every spring 25 high school seniors designated as finalists come together to meet each other in person,...
Student Leadership
Igniting the Conversation on Career Possibilities
Students starting a new school year often focus on beginnings—creating routines, initiating friendships, and starting classes. Beginnings are also an opportunity for students to think about where they’re heading. For most it’s toward a future career they’ll love. (more…)
Education Technology and Innovation, Guest Blogs
Three Ways to Help Student Leaders Learn From Failure
Failure is an essential part of life, and its impact on personal growth and development cannot be overstated. However, many student leaders who are accustomed to success and achievement perceive failure as a devastating blow to their self-esteem and academic futures. While they are typically willing to take risks as leaders, they are not always...
Student Leadership
Redefining Success for Youth Entrepreneurship Education
The head of a private high school in the United States recently reached out to me, concerned about the school’s three-year-old entrepreneurship program. The students were not working on innovative solutions and were not launching businesses based on their ideas. She wanted my guidance on what they were doing wrong and how the school could...
Guest Blogs
Sparking the Flame of Leadership at LEAD 2023
Once in a while, life gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate our mindset, think bigger, dive deeper into multiple perspectives, and learn life-changing skills that we’ll carry with us forever. For me, this opportunity came at NASSP’s LEAD Spark Conference in January 2023. (more…)
School Leadership, Student Leadership
Helping Our School Leaders, Educators, and Students in Maui
Aloha to all our school leader and educator colleagues across the country. As you know, the devastating fires in Lahaina in Maui have shaken all of us here in Hawaii. The entire nation has watched a tragedy unfold, and many of our colleagues have asked us how they can help the Maui schools, educators, students...
School Leadership, School Safety, Student Leadership
Four Ways to Strengthen School Culture This Year
Recently, NASSP members have made headlines for their innovative ways to create and sustain a strong school culture. Check out these stories—and take your school culture to the next level this year. (more…)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Funding, Principal Pipeline: Recruitment and Retention
NHS: Not Only a Program but a Platform
Teenagers have a natural tendency to view the National Honor Society (NHS) as something that only elite and privileged students do. Way too many students drift through high school thinking the organization is not for them. As the school year comes to an end, I want to share why teenagers should consider participating in NHS...
Student Leadership
Honoring Our Humanity with AAPI Heritage Month
It's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. In China, when walking past banners promoting women's rights and elevating the people's voice, my father would always comment on the fact that celebration or slogan is only needed when pride or circumstances are lacking. I think the same applies to AAPI Month. (more…)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Student Leadership
500 NJHS Students Earn Outstanding Achievement Awards
NASSP and The Education Plan® are proud to congratulate the recipients of the 2023 National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA)! (more…)
Student Leadership
Texas Student Wins NSLW Sticker Design Contest
Morgan Go, a junior at Stony Point High School in Round Rock, TX, is the winner of the first-ever sticker design contest for National Student Leadership Week (NSLW) held in April. Go is the secretary of her school’s NHS chapter and will serve as vice president next school year. Here, she talks about the contest...
Student Leadership
The Secret to Sustained Student Council Success
The student council at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, VA, has been recognized as a National Council of Excellence 15 times, ever since the school first opened. The award recognizes student councils for implementing a strong leadership program that meets council goals; functioning in an ethical and responsible way; and engaging others in leadership, spirit,...
School Leadership, Student Leadership
A Longtime National Council of Excellence Brings a Big School Together
Grassfield High School in Chesapeake, VA, is a large school. We have more than 2,200 students (who come from 10 different middle schools) and 215 staff spread out over multiple quads on a campus the covers more than 100 acres. One group that is key to pulling our entire school community together is our 30-person...
School Leadership, Student Leadership
A Fundraising Project That Changes Lives
When it comes time for students in the NHS chapter here at Thunder Ridge High School in Idaho Falls, ID, to graduate, just about every one of them would say that a highlight was this year’s project where we raised money to build a house for a Ukrainian family displaced by the war. I started...
Student Leadership
Inside the Backpacks of NHS Scholarship Winners: Discovering the Essentials of Tomorrow’s Leaders
NASSP recently recognized 25 outstanding National Honor Society members with scholarships for their dedication to the four pillars of NHS: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. As they embark on a bright future, we explore what essentials they carry with them every day, from textbooks to tech gadgets, and everything in between. Discover the unique personalities...
Student Leadership