Archive for September, 2007

Community Service Opportunities – Tell Us What You’ve Done

Wendy's Heisman September 25th, 2007

Community service is one of the core components of the Wendy’s High School Heisman Program as we look to recognize scholar-citizen-athletes. Giving of your time to others shows a willingness to look beyond yourself and it supports your community.

We want to hear about how you’ve volunteered your time with hospitals, animal shelters, neighborhood improvement projects, soup kitchens, tutoring, toy drives, religious groups, nursing homes, multicultural organizations, environmental causes, food banks, non-profit agencies, sports fundraisers, etc. And it’s great if you’ve held a leadership position in a volunteer organization or won an award.

In the end, community service is its own reward – the time you spend volunteering will push you outside your comfort zone, give you the chance to make new friends and experience new things, help you learn more about your community, and let you make a positive impact.

Each year when we review the applications, we are blown away by all the volunteer work being done by high school students. You are an amazing bunch of citizens!

If you are a high school student looking to volunteer your time, check out this long list of community service ideas!

Wendy’s Heisman Deadline Approaching!

Wendy's Heisman September 24th, 2007

It’s down to the last week. Be sure to get your Wendy’s High School Heisman Application completed by 11:59pm Central Time on October 1, 2007. Plan to have your part of the app done soon (Wednesday or Thursday) so your Reviewer has plenty of time to look at it and recommend you.

There is still time left. Even if you haven’t started your application – you can get it done!

You have a week. Here are some hints to help you:

  • Print out the application so you can make notes on it.
  • Make a list of the questions you need to research or the information you need to get from other sources.
  • Get help; don’t feel like you have to do it all alone. Have Mom & Dad research the formal names of your volunteer organizations and the awards you have won.
  • Make sure your Reviewer is aware of the deadline and let them know when you think you’ll finish your part of the application. (More helpful hints on the application review process.)

Best of luck!

Looking Back

Wendy's Heisman September 20th, 2007

This week I was able to talk with a former winner of the Wendy’s High School Heisman, Mrs. Jill Scheulen, and ask her a few questions about her experience applying for and winning the High School Heisman. Here’s what she had to say.

Q. The first question that I have is when you were filling out your application did you have any idea that you’d be the national winner?

A. I remember filling out the application and thinking to myself, wow, it would be really cool to be a state finalist, but I had no idea it would ever go any further than the state or regional level.

Q. Secondly, I’m not sure how familiar you are with the current application, but how was your experience filling out the application? How long did it take you to not only answer all of those questions, but to get your application reviewed and sent in?

A. I also remember filling out the application when my principal got it to me. He actually only gave it to me days before the application was due, so my mom and I sat for a couple of evening filling it out and then I took an extra couple of days to write the essays. I think the whole process took several hours, but only because I wanted to make sure I did my very best in representing my school and who I was.

Q. And finally – How did winning this award effect you? Did it open any opportunities for you?

A. This award has affected me in every way. I am currently a middle school principal and the program still effects me today because I want our students to realize that school, athletics/activities and community involvement is critical even at their age. We actually have a club here at my school called “A Chase for the Heisman.” Students from all different backgrounds and socioeconomic groups meet each week for service learning, they play an activity each time together and they read articles together to try and break the achievement gap as a student group. This award is one of the best things that has ever happened to me because of all the wonderful people I have met and continue to be friends with. If I ever need anything, a Heisman colleague or staff member is there for me.

Thanks so much to Jill for taking time out of her busy schedule and answer a few questions that I’m sure plenty of you out there are thinking. Jill Scheulen was the 1995 winner of the Wendy’s High School Heisman and has since gone on to become a middle school principle at St. Louis County school.

Wendy’s High School Heisman Application Help: A Reviewer?

Wendy's Heisman September 13th, 2007

Both the applicant AND the reviewer must submit by 11:59pm Central Time on October 1, 2007.

2007 is the first year students can nominate themselves for the Wendy’s High School Heisman – but you need a reviewer to confirm your application’s accuracy before it can be considered complete.

Your reviewer can be any adult within the school district who has access to your school records and can confirm the information in the application (basically a school representative like your teachers, guidance counselor, or a member of your school’s administration).

Okay, you finished the application, now what?

After you click “Submit” in the online application, within 24 hours, the person you named as your reviewer will get an email from us with instructions on how to complete their review of your application. Important: make sure you get their email address correct!

Let your reviewer know to watch out for the email. It will be from wendys@act.org with the subject line: Recommendation for 2007 Wendy’s High School Heisman. The email has a direct link to your application and instructions on creating a User ID and password so they can take a look at your application. Your reviewer must click “Recommend” so that your application is considered complete in our system; your application status will change to “Recommended”.

Check out the Wendy’s Heisman FAQs for more answers to your common questions.

Get started on your Wendy’s Heisman application or log in to keep working on it. Best of luck!

It’s Athletic

Wendy's Heisman September 12th, 2007

Sure, you’d love to apply to the Wendy’s High School Heisman, but you’re thinking that since you don’t play football you can’t.  Right?  Wrong.  You don’t have to be a football player to be considered for the Wendy’s High School Heisman.

The High School Heisman doesn’t only recognize football players, but in fact recognizes over 30 sports as being eligible for student-athletes to participate in and be considered for the Wendy’s High School Heisman.  Whether you play soccer or volleyball, basketball or lacrosse, compete in wrestling or judo, as well as dozens of other sports, you can and should apply for the Wendy’s High School Heisman.

Also, just because you don’t play sports for your school doesn’t mean that you don’t qualify.  So long as the sport you participate in is recognized by the High School Heisman committee, whether you play a sport for your school or for the local county team, you’re still eligible.

Don’t put off applying any longer, fill out your application and you could be the next Wendy’s High School Heisman, and you don’t have to play football to win it.

Wendy’s High School Heisman: History and Association with the Heisman Trophy

Wendy's Heisman September 7th, 2007

The Wendy’s High School Heisman program was created in 1994 by Wendy’s and the Heisman Memorial Trust to showcase students who excel in athletics, academics and service to their communities.

To date more than 150,000 high school students have been nominated. Of them, 157 have progressed to the National Finalist level and 26 have earned the designation of Wendy’s High School Heisman National Award Winners.

The name of the program comes from its association with the Heisman Trophy which is awarded annually to the most outstanding college football player in the U.S.

The Heisman Memorial Trust, the home of the Heisman Trophy since it was created in 1935, helped create the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. Rooted in the Heisman ideals of excellence, the High School Heisman program recognizes high-school seniors nationwide who exemplify the designation of scholar-citizen-athletes.

The program made a change in the application process in 2007. For the first time, students can nominate themselves allowing more students to be involved. Interested? Apply online by the October 1, 2007 deadline!

The Wendy’s High School Heisman Application

Wendy's Heisman September 7th, 2007

Before you can be awarded the Wendy’s High School Heisman, you have to apply. This can be a daunting experience, but in an effort to help, I’ve gone through the Wendy’s High School Heisman Application line by line, and will help explain each and every section.

Basic Information

On the first page of the application you’ll be asked to create an online account for yourself. This will consist of your name, address, phone number, and email address. In addition to your contact info, you’ll also generate a username and password that you will need to remember. Write it down if you don’t think you’ll be able to, because getting the information later can be difficult. After you’ve chosen an accepted username, you’ll have to answer a few questions about your eligibility. Answer the questions about your what year you are (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), your GPA, and whether you participate in any of the listed sports.

School Information

Here you’ll be required to fill in information about your school, including where it’s located, the name of your school, and your high school’s CEEB (ACT/SAT) code. If there’s more than one option for this and you don’t know, ask your guidance counselor as they should have the answer. After that, fill in your principal’s name, as well as the rough population of your high school’s surrounding area. This doesn’t have to be exact, but you should have a pretty good idea. After all of that, click the next button and move on to the next section.

Academics

Here you’ll start by answering questions about school ranking. Whether your school ranks you by percentage or numerically, your guidance counselor should be able to let you know where you rank. After that you’ll have to fill in your test scores for the ACT/SAT standardized tests, as well as your GPA, some questions about how many AP/Honors courses you’ve taken each year, and whether or not you’ve been selected as an Academic All-American leading up to your senior year. Answer all of those questions, click the next button, and it’s on to the next section.

School Activities

Here’s where you get to tell everybody what you do when you’re not in class. The application will start by asking you to check any student government positions you’ve held since freshman year, but for student council and for your class. After that you’ll check off any offices you held for an academic/honor society (such as the National Honor Society), and whether you worked on the school newspaper/magazine or yearbook and in what capacity. You can also list two (2) additional school leadership positions that are not listed above.

After that you can list what other school-sponsored activities you’ve participated in, such as Band, Key Club, or the Foreign Language Club to name a few. There’s also space to add a few clubs and activities that you may have participated in that aren’t listed on the application. Once you’ve selected all your activities, click the next button and move on to your athletics.

Athletic Activities

The part I’m sure many of you have been waiting for. Now you get to list all the sports that you’ve been playing for all these years. First off you’re going to want to check which of the 33 sanctioned sports you’ve played since your freshman years of high school. After that you get to list which sports you were a captain or co-captain, as well as though sports you received a varsity letter in.

After you’ve selected your sports, you can brag a little bit. This is where you get to tell about all those records you hold. List all the records you hold on the school level, league or conference level, district level, and the state level.

Now that you’ve listed all your records you get to list any awards you’ve received for playing your sports. MVP of your school, Most Improved in a season at your school, All-League/All-Conference, All-District, All-State, and All-American are all options. Now that you’ve listed all of your sports, click the next button and move on to the next section.

Volunteer Services Activities

Time to list all of that community service you’ve been doing for all these years. First off, list how many service activities you participated in during each grade from freshman year of high school. After that, you can list up to six (6) service events, groups, clubs, or organizations that you feel provided you with the most meaningful experiences. Remember that you only get six, so pick well.

Next list how many hours you spent doing community service starting with your freshman year of high school. Be honest and realistic, and remember that these hours should be verifiable.

After that you can list up to three (3) service clubs that you held leadership positions in that were meaningful to you. This is where you can tell everybody that you were a troop leader with your Boy Scout group. After that there’s a space for you to talk about any community awards, honors, and rewards that you’ve received during your community service time. Once you’ve filled out the last section, click the next button and move on to the next section.

Student Narrative

It’s time to do a bit of writing. There is a pair of questions that you have 1300 characters to answer. Be honest when answering these questions, but also remember that you can’t go on for five pages. Answer the questions as honestly as possible within the allotted space and you’ll be fine. Once you’re happy with your answers, click the next button and move on to the last two sections.

Reviewer Information

This is where you’ll put in your application reviewer’s information. List their name and email address, and make sure that they are an official from your high school. A teacher, guidance counselor, or administrative official can do this on your behalf, making sure your application is accurate and correct. Once their information is there, click on the final next button and move on to the last section.

Certification

All you have to do here is type your name. Read over the Certification of Disclosure Information box, type in your name, and click submit. You’ll have the chance to review and print your application, so there’s a last chance to fix or add anything you may have forgotten.

Don’t forget to have your application in by 11:59 central time on October 1, 2007, including your review, so that you can be considered for the Wendy’s High School Heisman. Good luck to all the applicants, and thank you for taking the time to fill out the High School Heisman Application.

The High School Heisman

Wendy's Heisman September 5th, 2007

For the first time in 14 years, you the students can nominate yourselves for the Wendy’s High School Heisman. The High School Heisman allows rising high school seniors, one male and one female, to be recognized for excellence not only in athletics, but also for their accomplishments in academics and for their work in the community.

Applying is easy, so long as you meet the eligibility requirements for consideration to the Wendy’s High School Heisman. So long as you’re a rising senior with a “B” average, and you participate in at least one of the 33 sanctioned sports, you can apply. All you have to do is visit the Wendy’s High School Heisman website, create an account, and start the application process. Just remember to get your application in by the October 1, 2007 deadline so that you can be part of this great program that is designed to benefit exceptional high school students like yourself.