North South Foundation

Encouraging Academic Excellence in Our Youth

NSF Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 1 & 2, January/February 2005

Namaste and Happy New Year from NSF!

While the year 2004 concluded on a sad note owing to the Asian tsunami, it was heartening to see the tremendous outpour of global compassion, partnership, and aid during the days immediately following the disaster. Tsunami survivors could still use your support. If you wish to make a donation, please visit our Web site.

The NSF Review 2005 is ready and available for download. Preparations for the regional spelling, vocabulary, and math bees, which will commence in March 2005, are well under way. This year, NSF is piloting a geography bee and an essay contest at select centers.

In this Issue...

• NSF News
• NSF-India News
• Contest Feedback
• Articles
• Volunteer Profile

NSF NEWS

Here's a glimpse of NSF happenings.

Bee 2005

Online registration for the various NSF contests is now open. If you haven't done so already, please register your child asap so that you can download the practice words for the spelling and vocabulary contests. The NSF Tech Team had put in long hours to streamline and simplify the registration process. Here's what it offers you:clear instructions on each page, the ability to add/delete a child, the ability to select/remove multiple contests, the ability to make the total payment, all in one shot. You can also check the registration status at any time. C'mon. Check it out!

The regional bees will be held during March-April. NSF will publish the finalists' names by the end of May to enable parents to begin planning for their participation in the National Final.

Please visit the NSF Web site to understand eligibility/enrollment requirements, learn how to help your child prepare for the contests, and become familiar with general contest rules. Math Bee FAQ and Syllabus for 2005 are now available online.

As you're aware, we will be piloting an Essay Writing Bee this year. The essay contest core team has put together a FAQ and general information outlining the goals of the essay contest. If your child would like to participate, please contact your regional coordinator for further instructions.

Spelling Workshops

A 2-session spelling workshop for the New England area (MA, NH, RI and CT) will be held on Sunday, February 13th and 20th, at 2:00 PM (ISA UMASS Lowell). Topics covered will include review of contest rules, tips for preparation, review of basic spelling rules, fun spelling exercises, mock spelling bee, tips from parents of past winners, and more.

RSVP or request more info from Madhavi Nathan Oliver. This event is being sponsored by ISA UMASS Lowell.

Join Us!

Connect with our expanding network of people today by joining our mailing list. Come on, get with it! Remember, our membership is free.

P.S. To make sure you receive our e-mails, please add 'admin@northsouth.org' to your address book, so your filter will know our communiqués are legitimate.

NSF-India NEWS

NSF-India has 17 chapters currently throughout India. These include Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhavnagar, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Katihar, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mau, Pune, Sibsagar, and Trivandrum. The NSF-India main office is based in Hyderabad. Read the Scholarship FAQ to understand how the scholarship selection process works.

The selections for 2004-05 have been completed and scholarships disbursed for Chennai, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, and Madurai. Read more about Madurai Chapter's selections in this news item that was published in the Indian Express on December 14, 2004.

If you or your friends/family know of financially disabled but academically aspiring students in India, please direct them to contact NSF India regional chapters. NSF-India chapters generally solicit applications for scholarships following the publication of 12th grade/Intermediate results.

CONTEST FEEDBACK

Included is a sample of what one parent attendee had to say about the 2004 National Final that was held in Phoenix, AZ, during September 4-5:

"After having associated with North South for 2 years, this is the first time we got a chance to go to the nationals. Our kids really enjoyed. Having over-achieved in the schools, to go there and be competing with kids who are on the same footing or better helped them bring a perspective. The organization of the math bee was excellent. We should try to reduce the delay of the start of math bee. Starting on time gives a good impression (to a) lot of first-time parents. Also, the sample questions can be made little more reflective of the actual questions being asked. I felt there is a gap between the two and this came in the way of us preparing the kids. Again, I want to reiterate. Considering (that) we are conducting the math bee for the first time, we did a great job overall. Congratulations. Thanks to you, my wife and I get to see Grand Canyon for the first time in 14 years in the US."

ARTICLES

Echoing the value of education, here are insightful narratives from three young writers Divya Krishnan, Sumanth Kaja, and Sri Raghavan.

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

This issue's featured volunteer is Viji Vijay, Regional Coordinator for Cleveland, OH.