The All-USA High School Academic Team

 

 

*      USA TODAY, in cooperation with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Education Association, searches for 20 students to honor as representatives of all outstanding high school students in the nation.

 

*      To receive a high school, four-year college or teacher nomination form when available, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope specifying which program to:

*      Carol Skalski, USA TODAY, 7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA, 22108-9995 (please use nine-digit ZIP code).

*      High school nomination forms are available in December

 

*      When identified, they will be honored as members of USA TODAY's 19th All-USA High School Academic Team, to be announced May 12, 2005.

*      They will devote two pages of our newspaper to describe their achievements and publish their photographs.

*      They also will present a trophy and a $2,500 cash award to each student.

 

*      Eligibility

*      open to students graduating from a high school in the USA or its territories, or Department of Defense schools overseas.

 

*      The key element, to be given most weight by the judges, will be a student's outstanding original academic, artistic or leadership endeavor.

 

*      The judges will be influenced by the student's ability to describe that outstanding endeavor in his/her own words. They will not read an author's work, see an artist's painting or hear a composer's music.

 

*      They will rely solely on the student's ability to describe the effort in writing, supplemented by recommendations from the nominating teacher and two other persons of the nominee's choice.

 

*      Criteria for the All-USA High School Academic Team were developed in consultation with our co-sponsors, who provided advice from the perspective of the high school principal and teacher.