Shute
Four area high school seniors have received Good Citizen Awards from the Joseph Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Columbus North High School winner will represent the chapter at the state level of the competition.
Flynn Keele of Columbus North has been selected as the Columbus-based chapter’s entrant for the Good Citizen competition. The other three school winners are Brianne Brummett (Columbus East), Abigail Shute (CSA New Tech) and Gracie Greene (Hauser Jr./Sr. High School).
According to Melissa Hill, regent of the local DAR chapter, the four seniors were nominated by teachers at their respective schools as models of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism — “the embodiment of what DAR stands for.”
The four school winners will each receive an honorarium check, a DAR Good Citizen certificate and a pin. Additionally, they were given the chance to become the chapter representative for the state-level competition. According to Taffy Schroer, chairman of the Good Citizen Award, Keele will receive an additional honorarium as the chosen representative.
To qualify for this honor, the students had to write an essay in a monitored environment with a time limit and no access to outside resources. The essay had to be based off a specific topic, which was placed in a sealed envelope and then handed to the student.
The 2022-23 topic was “Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility for Preserving It: How will the essential actions of a good citizen (dependability, service, leadership and patriotism) meet the challenges America faces in this decade?”
Judges reported that each essay was “outstanding,” with a close range of scores. These essays, however, were just one factor considered for choosing a chapter representative; students were also considered based on their profiles, demonstrated achievements in their school and community, and letters of recommendation.
