Nominate a Student for the 2012 OTO Awards

Nomination Criteria

Student Advocacy’s Overcoming the Odds Awards recognize students who have successfully faced serious obstacles to their success in school. The awards honor students in Westchester and Putnam Counties in three categories:

• Physical/Medical Challenges

• Family/Social Challenges

• Disability Challenges

The winners are selected by a volunteer Selection Committee and are acknowledged publicly at Student Advocacy’s annual Overcoming the Odds Awards Dinner. This fundraising event supports Student Advocacy’s work of helping kids in Westchester and Putnam Counties to get the help they need to achieve success.

INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete the attached form. Submissions must be TYPED. If you have supporting material, do not send it. Instead incorporate comments or quotes from letters of support in your answers on your application. Additional materials are NOT given to the Selection Committee. The completed nomination must be no longer than three pages.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 30, 2012

COMPLETE THE APPLICATION CAREFULLY: Many nominations are screened out because there is not enough information about the student. Typically, at least half of all nominations are screened out because the information is too vague or weak.

ELIGIBILITY: Students who were nominated in prior years and did not receive the award can be nominated again. Since the Selection Committee may be weighing the nomination of a senior who could only receive the award this year versus a young student who could be nominated again, you should explain why the younger student deserves the award at this time.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Nominations are confidential. The information is used ONLY for selection of the award winners. If a student is offered the award, the student and his/her family has the opportunity to review the nomination and eliminate information which they wish to keep private.

SCREENING PROCESS: The screening and selection process takes several weeks. A Selection Committee primarily composed of community volunteers selects three winners. One winner is selected by our staff. The nominator is notified of our decision. All students nominated receive a certificate for overcoming the odds. Students who are offered and accept the award must attend a dinner at which the award is presented. The student winner, two guests and one representative from the district attend the dinner as guests of Student Advocacy.

SUBMISSION: Nominations must be received by Friday, January 30, 2012. You can submit your nomination by email at studentadvocacy@studentadvocacy.net, by fax at 914.347.6382 or by mail to Student Advocacy, 3 West Main Street, Elmsford, NY 10523.

Tips

Here are some tips to strengthen your nomination:

• Write for a lay audience explaining technical terms, e.g., this student has a medical condition called _______ which affects this child in these ways ________.

• Be specific about the obstacles that this student has overcome. It can be helpful for the Selection Committee to understand the challenges that occur in a “typical” day. Try to explain what the student goes through to learn.

• Don’t assume that the committee members can imagine the impact of a disability. For example, rather than simply writing that the student is deaf, explain that a deaf child may be attempting to read the teacher’s lips, follow a classroom discussion, and take notes. Explain that each task is challenging enough for a deaf child and that in combination, they can be overwhelming.

• If the student has taken extra steps or done extra work to keep pace at school, describe the student’s effort.

Nomination Application

Please provide the following information:

• Student’s Name
• Age
• Grade
• Home Address
• Home Phone
• District and School
• Nominated by
• School Phone
• School Address
• How do you know this student?

Provide your answers to the questions below in no more than 3 pages.

Please read the instruction page for tips on writing a successful nomination.

1. Information about the Student’s Obstacle. List the primary area in which the student is facing a challenge from this list:

• Physical/Medical Challenges
• Family/Social Issues
• Disabilities

Then explain the obstacle(s) the student faced, so that the reader can appreciate its challenges. You can describe additional challenges facing the student beyond the category that you selected above as the primary challenge.

2. Impact on Learning/Education: How have these obstacles made it more difficult for this student to attend and succeed in school?

3. Student’s Effort to Overcome the Odds: Describe the effort and achievement made by this student in overcoming the odds. Describe personal efforts, additional help sought and utilized and efforts to then serve as a role model/helper for other students.

4. Why does this student deserve the Overcoming the Odds Award?

Nomination Deadline: January 30, 2012

Nomination Timeline

January: Schools submit nominations

February/March: Review and selection process

April: Nominators are notified of award decisions. Winners are interviewed at school

May: Presentation of the awards at the Overcoming the Odds Awards Dinner