RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS

"I am very appreciative of NHSS! My first experience with the group was as a high school student but was reintroduced when a student nominated me for Educator of Distinction in my 8th year of teaching. I have since applied for grants and have received much-needed funding for my dance classes. NHSS has been a wonderful resource for me as an educator."

'Thank you for this opportunity to use the grant funds to continue the pursuit of my EdD in Educational Policy and Organizational Leadership. This degree is deepening my understanding of myself as an educator and how I can directly impact change in the communities I serve."

"I am beyond grateful to NSHSS for awarding me the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion grant. This grant is an incredible support for my Theatre program and will make a meaningful impact in the lives of my students. Thank you NSHSS for your commitment to arts education and for believing in the power of theatre to transform lives. I can't wait to put this grant to work at the Texas Thespian festival and I look forward to sharing the results of your investment with our community."

"Being named the Educator Coach of the year for 2020 by the National Society for High School Scholars has reaffirmed my hard work and dedication to students over the past 35 years of my teaching career. Receiving the $5,000 grant in the midst of the COVID–19 Pandemic has definitely been a blessing since it arrived at a time when it was desperately needed. I am thankful and humbled to have received such an outstanding honor from such a prestigious organization."

I would like to thank the National Society of High School Scholars grant committee for selecting me for this award. Everything I do, I do it for my students. There are days I feel like I am not getting it right, but when I get a message from a past student saying how what I taught them they are able to use it on their current job or in their college classes, I know I am in the right place. God has truly given me a gift to inspire the next generation and I will continue to do so until I can't anymore!

"I am so grateful to have received this grant!!! School funding in Texas is a mess and this grant will absolutely help me get equipment and supplies for the higher level learning labs my students require."

"I am truly honored and grateful to receive the grant from the National Society of High School Scholars. This support goes beyond financial assistance; it is a heartfelt affirmation of our commitment to promoting social-emotional learning and wellness for our campus community. Your grant will enable us to provide students with crucial counseling resources that address their emotional and mental health needs. It allows us to further expand our social-emotional learning initiatives with a unique focus on mindfulness as a complement to their educational journey. Thank you for believing in the mission of school counselors and for investing in the future of our students. Your support helps us create a culture of wellness within our campus community."

"The National Society of High School Scholars is an awesome organization which supports the scholarship of high school students with extracurricular activities. Notably, The National Society of High School Scholars also acknowledges the importance of athletic activities in developing talented youth with the Athletic Sponsor Grant. Grants provide tremendous support to programs, including athletic programs, by extending resources available to each student. My experience with NSHSS as an Educator has been rewarding in identifying high school scholars who are student-athletes."

"The importance of offering AP classes has been well documented-study after study reveals that students who are challenged with college level classes have more persistence, better study habits, and greater financial flexibility if they pass the rigorous exams. An AP course structured with a bedrock in the inquiry arc allows students to experience learning at a collegiate level long before they enroll in an undergraduate institution. However, it is the underlying impact that offering college level classes has on an entire school community, whether enrolled in AP classes or not, that makes advanced placement a necessity for any high school. I have been teaching AP World History for four years to mostly freshman students in the south side of Chicago. Preparing students for a high stakes exam was not the reason I got into teaching. My teaching philosophy is rooted in the importance of inquiry and student choice, which allows students to see themselves in the history of the world. When I first began this journey of teaching AP World it seemed impossible to get the majority of my students to pass the exam for college credit, and at the same time fall in love with history as I had long ago. My passion for learning stems from asking tough questions about the hard truths of world history, and then searching for my own answers with the research skills I learned from my professors or teachers. I also knew that passing an AP exam for many of my students is a game changer in a higher education system where costs have skyrocketed for families. With the grant from NSHSS I will be able to better serve the needs of my students by curating a robust research library and bypass frustrating paywalls of the elite research databases. Thank you NSHSS for providing that rigor for my students!"