Vol. 40, No. 14

April 19, 2006

15 High School Students to
Receive Citizenship Award

Fifteen public high school students will be honored by the State Board of Education Friday (April 21) as recipients of the 2006 Outstanding Achievement in Citizenship Award. The students will be recognized at a noon awards luncheon Friday in the Governor’s Mansion.

Guest speaker will be Doug Copeland, president of The Missouri Bar.

The Missouri Legislature established the citizenship award in 1990. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education conducts the awards competition with assistance and financial support from The Missouri Bar.

The citizenship award recipients are:

  • Jeffrey Dittmer, Blue Springs South High School
  • Scott Hillier, Nevada High School
  • Amanda Holmes, Parkway West High School, Ballwin
  • James Kraus, Linn High School
  • Vy Anh Mai, Parkview High School, Springfield
  • Lindsey Mielziner, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield
  • Paul Mintner, Lafayette County High School, Higginsville
  • Benjamin Nunnery, Poplar Bluff Senior High School
  • Jennifer Richards, Potosi High School
  • Caitlin Roth, Kirkwood High School
  • Salvatore Scavuzzo, Harrisonville High School
  • Claire Schillinger, Rockwood Summit High School, Fenton
  • Kasey Steffens, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles
  • Craig Stevenson, Rolla High School
  • Christopher Swanson, Webster Groves High School, St. Louis

More than 50 students were nominated for the award. Educators and members of the Missouri Bar’s Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education reviewed the nominations and selected the winners.

Every public high school is eligible to nominate one senior for the award. Students are selected for the award on the basis of their academic achievement in civics and government courses, performance in civics and government-related extracurricular activities, and exemplary community service. Students also must submit an essay about the importance of citizenship.

The awards will be presented by Peter F. Herschend, president of the State Board of Education; D. Kent King, Commissioner of Education; and Doug Copeland, president of The Missouri Bar. Each student will receive a plaque and a $50 U.S. Savings Bond.