John L. Manear Outstanding Advisor Award

The John L. Manear Advisor Awards are given in remembrance of the contributions John made to the National English Honor Society. They will be presented annually to Advisors who have given generously of time, talent, creativity, and leadership to an NEHS chapter. The awards recognize Advisors who foster the spirit of academic excellence and community service in their work with chapter members.

Awards

The John L. Manear Awards comprise one Outstanding Advisor award of $500 and two smaller awards of $250 each.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be current NEHS Chapter Advisors at a chapter school in good standing with NEHS.
  • Applicants must have been a registered NEHS Chapter Advisor for at least three consecutive years.
  • Applicants can only win the award once.
  • Applicants may apply themselves or be nominated by the NEHS Advisory Council, their student members, and/or administrators at their school, but applications must be made by Chapter Advisors themselves.

Application Requirements

  1. All submissions must be made via the NEHS AwardSpring platform during the winter application period.

  2. Applicants must respond to these questions in AwardSpring outlining their skills and talents.

    1. List five words that describe you well. Tell us why.

    2. List any NEHS experiences that have profoundly affected you.

    3. What are the personal qualities that make you stand out from other NEHS Chapter Advisors?

    4. I believe the best thing I have done as an NEHS Chapter Advisor has been:

    5. My proudest moment as an NEHS Chapter Advisor has been:

    6. The biggest challenge I overcame as a Chapter Advisor has been:

    7. I believe NEHS has helped me grow as a person because:

  3. Applicants must complete demographic data questions prior to submitting their documentation.

  4. All applicants must include a brief biography and portrait photo.

  5. Applicants must provide the names and email addresses of an NEHS student member and a school-based administrator (usually a Principal or Vice-Principal) who can provide a recommendation letter in support of the applicant.

  6. Applicants must agree that, should they win an award, they are willing to provide a written report and photos detailing the impact the award has had on them, which can be used by NEHS to promote this and other awards in future years.

Evaluation Process

  1. All recommendation letters will be evaluated by the NEHS Advisory Council.
  2. All recommendation letters will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories:
    1. The applicant’s length and dates of service as a Chapter Advisor
    2. Statements describing the applicant’s contributions to the success of their NEHS Chapter
    3. Descriptions of the talent, creativity, and leadership skills of the applicant, including anecdotal examples of the applicant’s influence with students, staff, and the wider community
    4. Evidence of the passion the applicant has for the English Language Arts and how that excitement is shared with NEHS student members
  3. Awards will be given purely based on merit, not based on the imperative that all funds should be spent annually.
Scholarships/Awards