Eligibility and Criteria
NASSP/Herff Jones Principal's Leadership Award
Eligibility and Criteria
Who is eligible?
High school principals, assistant principals or their designee may nominate one senior per school for this award. Nominees should be in the top 20% of their class and demonstrate leadership. If there is a candidate with strong leadership qualities that is not in the top 20% of the class, he/she can still be nominated. Please keep in mind that this is a leadership award.
How do you apply/nominate a student?
Nomination forms are submitted online. Students complete the online nomination form by going to the ISTS web site, https://aim.applyists.net/pla, and following the on-screen instructions. The key is PLA. Students then provide the web address and a code to their adviser/counselor or teacher, and the principal, who then complete the nomination process by verifying the nomination and providing the principal’s recommendation.
Scholarship sponsor Herff Jones is waiving the $6 processing fee. Schools are no longer required to provide a $6 check for processing, nor will they be required to mail in a copy of the nomination form.
Please direct interested students or your selected nominee to the Online Nomination Form Instructions page for further details.
How do I select a student to be nominated?
The nomination form is designed to provide the broadest possible base upon which to evaluate candidates, examining such areas as leadership skills, service, awards, honors and achievements, employment experience, and academic record.
Schools utilize a variety of ways to select a candidate, such as:
- Asking a scholarship selection committee to select a student
- Selecting the top-ranked senior in the class
- Opening the competition to all seniors
- Using the narrative requirement on the nomination form as a writing exercise during English class.
Note: Any interested student can complete the online nomination form, but only one student per school can be nominated. The selected nominee’s form must be validated by the school principal.
Don't forget the articles and resources on www.nassp.org/PLA to assist you and your nominee in preparing the nomination form!
Important Information
- Criteria:
Entries must have all signatures—nominee, adviser or counselor, and principal or assistant principal—and be completed online by 12:00 a.m. Friday, December 2, 2011. Please retain a copy of the nominee’s nomination form for school records.
- Notification:
Winners and their principals will be notified by mail. Winners will be announced during National Student Leadership Week, April 15-21, 2012, and listed on www.nassp.org/PLA. NASSP is not able to personally notify non winners.
- Award levels:
The NASSP/Herff Jones PLA scholarship program will award $125,000 in scholarships this year, offering nominees the chance to earn additional recognition and awards. In addition to state winners, regional winners will be selected, and from them, one national semifinalist, one national finalist and one national winner will be chosen. The national winner receives a $12,000 college scholarship.
- How are winners selected?
Nominees are judged on the basis of the information provided on the nomination form in areas such as leadership skills; participation in service organizations and clubs; achievements in the arts and sciences; employment experience; and academic record. The National Selection Committee, which is made up of a group of high school principals from across the country, also considers the recommendation from the principal, which is intended to demonstrate what really sets the student apart from all other nominees. Remember, the PLA scholarship is a leadership award, and candidates should demonstrate strong leadership skills.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Wanda Carroll at carrollw@nassp.org.