Fort Payne DAR honors area students
On Sunday, April 11, Fort Payne Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution held its annual awards ceremony. The chapter recognized winners from area middle schools for participation in its American History Essay contest; and seniors from the Naperville area public high schools and Benet Academy were recognized as DAR Good Citizens.
Three scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors seeking careers in education and math, science and technology.
• Ellie Hoel, an eighth-grader from Saints Peter and Paul School, was the chapter winner for the American History Essay contest. Emma Breese, seventh grade, and Prakruthi Vijay, sixth grade, from Kennedy Junior High School were recognized as chapter winners for their respective grades. In addition to the chapter winners, school winners included Mia Wendt, an eighth grader from Calvary Christian School, Solomiya Stefurak, a seventh-grader from Calvary Christian School, and Aashi Dharia, an eighth-grader from Kennedy Junior High School. Approximately 165 students from these three area schools participated in this annual contest. The American History Essay contest is a national contest sponsored by the NSDAR. This year's theme was "The Boston Massacre."
• Anna Fosco, a senior at Naperville Central High School, won the Fort Payne NSDAR Education Scholarship. Fosco plans to pursue a degree in music education at Butler University, Indianapolis, in the fall. She was awarded $1,000 toward her freshman tuition. She also led the chapter in the singing of the national anthem.
• Brianna Bukowski, Naperville Central High School, and Neema Darabi, Neuqua Valley High School, each were awarded $1,000 scholarships for the Daniel Webster Scholarship. The Webster scholarship recognizes students wishing to pursue careers in science, math and technology. Bukowski plans to pursue a dual major in aerospace engineering and Russian studies at Rice University, Houston. Her ultimate goal is to become an astronaut. Darabi plans to pursue a degree in neuroscience at the University of Chicago. He plans to pursue both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
• Faculty at their respective high schools selects the DAR Good Citizen Awards. To receive this award, high school seniors must demonstrate qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism in their homes, schools and communities. This year's honorees include: Kelly Ahr, Benet Academy; Leland Pan, Metea Valley High School; Emily Pavuk, Waubonsie Valley High School; Ashley Stis, Neuqua Valley High School; and Broderick Whitaker, Naperville Central High School. Stis was also honored as the overall chapter winner.
Fort Payne wishes to congratulate all of the winners. These young people represent the very best of Naperville, Aurora and Lisle.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. DAR members are committed to volunteer service having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.