Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About the
NASSP/Herff Jones Principal’s Leadership Award
Contact Us!
If at anytime you have questions, concerns, or are experiencing technical difficulties with the online nomination process you may contact ISTS as follows:
Phone: 615-320-3149 or 877-525-8491
E-mail: Contact the ISTS Customer Care team via e-mail by visiting www.applyists.com. Navigate to 'Contact Us' (in the upper right corner). Navigate to ‘To Contact Customer Care Click Here.’ Complete and submit the e-mail request form.
Eligibility Questions:
Are children of Herff Jones employees eligible?
Yes, children of Herff Jones employees are eligible. Herff Jones is not involved in the selection process.
Are children of Principals eligible?
Yes, a child of a principal is eligible.
Are seniors who graduate early eligible?
As long as a senior is enrolled in your school at the time they are nominated they are eligible.
Are nominees required to be U.S. citizens in order to be eligible?
No, U.S. citizenship is not required; however, students must attend a college or university in the United States.
Are home schooled students eligible?
No, homeschooled students are not eligible.
User Log In and/or Account Questions:
What is the key?
The key is PLA.
I forgot my password, how do I request a new one?
- Go to https://aim.applyISTS.net
- Under ‘Account Login’ click the ‘I forgot my password’ link
- The ‘Forgot Password’ prompt will appear
- Enter the e-mail address you used to create your account
- Click ‘OK’ to reset your password
- You will receive an ‘Account Password Reset ’e-mail with a temporary password and instructions*
- You will be required to create a new password the first time you log in with your temporary password
*Be sure your new password meets the following criteria:
- At least 8 characters
- At least one uppercase letter
- At least one lowercase letter
- At least one number
- At least one symbol (any character that is not a number or letter)
I am getting a message that my ‘account has been locked’, what should I do?
For security purposes, your account is “locked” after three (3) unsuccessful login attempts. You must reset your password to access the account by clicking the ‘I forgot my password’ link and following the instructions below.
To access a “locked” account:
- Go to https://aim.applyISTS.net
- Under ‘Account Login’ click the ‘I forgot my password’ link
- The ‘Forgot Password’ prompt will appear
- Enter the e-mail address you used to create your account
- Click ‘OK’ to reset your password
- You will receive an ‘Account Password Reset’ e-mail with a temporary password and instructions*
- You will be required to create a new password the first time you log in with your temporary password
*Be sure your new password meets the following criteria:
- At least 8 characters
- At least one uppercase letter
- At least one lowercase letter
- At least one number
- At least one symbol (any character that is not a number or letter)
Why do I get the message ‘Username already exists. Please enter a different username’ when creating an account?
If the e-mail address you are attempting to use to create a new account is shared by more than one individual, someone else may have already used that particular e-mail address to register an account at https://aim.applyISTS.net. In this case, to create a new account, you must register with a different e-mail address, as an e-mail address can only be used to register one individual account.
If you have already created an account and have forgotten the password, follow the instructions to reset your password.
Nomination Process Questions:
Our school needs another certificate of merit can one be sent to us?
Yes, you will need to provide your name, school name, and mailing address to Wanda Carroll via e-mail or voice mail at carrollw@nassp.org or phone: 703-860-7252.
Can a counselor or other staff member write the principal’s recommendation?
The principal should write the recommendation. However, if the principal feels they do not know the nominee well enough to write the recommendation another faculty member may do so. The principal must agree with and sign the recommendation section. A signature by any one other than the principal or vice principal will disqualify the applicant.
Can the assistant or vice principal write the recommendation and sign the form?
Yes the assistant or vice principal may both write the recommendation and sign the form.
Can the principal still write the recommendation if the nominee is his or her child?
If the principal feels it is more appropriate they may have the assistant or vice principal write and sign the recommendation. Another faculty member may also write the recommendation but it must be signed by the principal or assistant/vice principal.
Can more than one student be nominated?
No, under no circumstances may multiple nominations be made. if any school nominates more than one student both will be disqualified.
Recommendation: Select the student who demonstrates the highest level of leadership (e.g., class president, vice president, yearbook editor, etc.). If all leadership factors are equal choose the student with the highest GPA or test scores or choose the student who is the best writer as the narrative is an important piece of the nomination form.
May a student be nominated if the high school does not calculate GPA or rank?
Yes, a student may be nominated even if the school does not calculate GPA or rank. Once the nominee logs into the online nomination form there will be instructions on how they may note that their school does not calculate GPA or rank.
How can we confirm who we nominated if we did not keep it on record?
If you completed the Principal Nomination form and/or Advisor/Counselor form you may log back in to aim.applyists.net and use your email address and password used to first create your account. The name of your nominee should be available on your home page. If you have any trouble with this process or did not yet fill out the Principal Nomination form and/or Advisor/Counselor form, you may contact ISTS at 615-320-3149 or 877-525-8491.
What is a supplement code?
A supplement code is unique identifier for an applicant request to have an individual fill out a supplementary form on his or her behalf. A supplement code is a combination of numbers and letters (not case sensitive).
What if the supplement code is not working?
If your supplement code is not working:
- Be sure that you are entering the supplement code in the field labeled Supplement Code
- Please verify you have not mistyped the supplement code
- Please contact the applicant directly as he or she may have deleted the original request, created a new one and rendered the original supplement code invalid. Confirm with the applicant whether he or she has already requested a new supplement code for you or if he or she must generate a new request
- Once you have a valid supplement code, to complete the supplement:
- Go online to https://aim.applyISTS.net/supplement
- Create an account using your e-mail address and a secure password or if you have already created an account, simply log in using your e-mail address and password
Student Nomination Form Questions:
Do words like “I, the, or, etc.” that are repeated count for the total maximum of 300 words for the narrative?
All words count. You have an automatic word count system using the online nomination form.
How do I obtain confirmation that my nomination form was received?
You may check the status of your application using the following steps:
- Go to https://aim.applyISTS.net
- Log in using your e-mail address and password used to create your account
- The first page you will see is the home page of your account - All started applications will be listed here
- Each started application will have a current status of either:
- Complete – Indicates that all requirements for this application have been received and processed.
- Incomplete – Indicates that all requirements for this application have either not been received or are not processed yet. Before contacting ISTS, please verify the current status of all requirements listed under each application.
Award Questions:
How are award checks issued?
All award checks are handled by ISTS. The one time non renewable award check is mailed to the recipient’s address on his or her profile page at https://aim.applyISTS.net. Checks are payable to the educational institutions of the recipient’s choice, pending program sponsor’s approval. Any notification you receive identifying you as an award recipient, will also include the date on which that program’s checks will be disbursed.
Are scholarships taxable?
Tax laws vary by country and we recommend consulting your tax advisor for more guidance.