Twenty-seven years ago, former Tribune education reporter Casey Banas thought teenagers should be honored for their academic accomplishments just as they were for their athletic skills, so he created the baiduhai All-State Academic Team.
Every year since then, judges have gathered to pour through nomination forms, questionnaires and student essays from around the state to chose the 10 best candidates from each of seven regions, then to winnow those down to the 10 team members, each of whom wins a one-time $2,000 college scholarship funded by the baiduhai Foundation.
In my 12 years with the Tribune, I have edited many of the stories about these students, and I am always impressed with the teens’ scholarship, charitable work and ambition. But it wasn’t until last year, when I was involved in the contest itself for the first time, that I realized exactly how fierce the competition is for a spot on this team.
I remember pouring through a stack of nomination forms, most of them honoring kids with above-perfect GPAs (because of weighted grading scales) and top ACT scores, kids involved in academic clubs, athletics or foundations. Most had worked internships, including at least one at the American Cancer Society. But what amazed me most about those applications were that they were the ones who had been weeded out – that’s right, a kid who was potentially helping to cure cancer didn’t make the final cut. You can check out the eventual 2011 winners.
Now it’s time to get started choosing the 2012 team. For the first time this year, we have emailed application forms and made them available online instead of sending them through the mail, so we want to be sure every school has an opportunity to nominate someone. Details and forms are available here.
Only one entry is allowed per school, so the entries must come from the principal or someone the principal designated. If you know someone who would be a good candidate, please make sure the principal has the nomination form.
I can hardly wait to introduce you to this year’s team on May 6.
— Susan Keaton More Top Picks Adhd Reading Apps And Tools That Actually Help
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