TAMPA, Fla. – Chase Hartman, a senior at Walter L. Sickles High School in Tampa, was chosen from nearly 17,000 applications to receive the $10,625 National Honor Society (NHS) Service Award.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the parent body of NHS, oversees the National Association of Student Councils.
“To me, this scholarship is another opportunity to keep growing as a leader in my community and the world, and to keep achieving educational equity through my efforts,” said Chase.
Chase Hartman is an entrepreneur and civic-minded leader passionate about educational equity and the environment. He was inspired to serve his community after his chapter of National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) ran a book collection drive.
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Chase co-founded an award-winning book distribution project, read.repeat. when he was only ten years old.
This project evolved into a nonprofit, Eco Brothers.
He has focused on improving literacy rates and has distributed 220,000 books to 65,000 students in Hillsborough County, FL, and in all 50 states. He advocates for more diverse and dual-language books in schools and has spoken to his local board of education about the need for such books. He has raised $120,000, mobilized hundreds of volunteers and provided 10,000 service hours to teens.
An Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader in Troop 46, he ran Scouting for Food for three years and donated 7,000 food units to a local pantry. He also designed, planted and maintained a butterfly garden for his elementary school. He is student body president, swim team captain, a Congressional Award Gold Medal recipient and a four-time gold-level honoree in the President’s Volunteer Service Awards.
NHS awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to 600 high school seniors this year. Four of the top finalists were awarded a $10,625 scholarship for embodying the pillars of NHS membership: scholarship, service, leadership and character.
The recipients of these awards are Elizabeth Djajalie from Juneau, AK, for Scholarship; Jensen Coonradt from Oswego, IL, for Leadership; and Aadya Gattu from Warrington, PA, for Character. Twenty finalists received $5,625, and Ella Mayor from Simi Valley, CA, earned the top $25,000 scholarship.
“These NHS scholarship winners are leaving behind an incredible legacy as they embark on their next adventure,” said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe. “Throughout their time in NHS, they’ve tackled challenges from child trafficking to health literacy, published critical work including poems, research and a children’s book, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes. Their tremendous efforts reflect what NHS is all about.”
The announcement is part of NASSP’s Trailblazing Leadership Week, bringing together the 2024 State Assistant Principals of the Year and the NHS Scholarship finalists to celebrate their accomplishments and connect with one another. NASSP also announced the National Assistant Principal of the Year during the event.
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