daughters of the american revolution essay contest 2020

Penn-Trafford student wins top spot in Daughters of the American Revolution state essay contest

Penn-Trafford student Kari Ann Leventopoulos is the statewide winner in the Daughters of the American Revolution’s 2020 American History Essay Contest.

Leventopoulos, 14, was named the eighth-grade winner of the Phoebe Bayard Chapter’s local contest and, at an award luncheon, she learned she also won the top spot in the state for her essay on the this year’s topic, the voyage of the Mayflower.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims setting out aboard the Mayflower from Plymouth, England.

Leventopoulos, who is headed to Penn-Trafford High School this fall, spoke with the Trib about the teacher who inspired her essay and her passion for history.

Q: What is your favorite thing about learning history?

A: I love learning about what life was like in the past for people like me.

Q: What was one surprising thing you learned about the voyage of the Mayflower that you didn’t know before starting the essay project?

A: The Pilgrims and other people on the Mayflower were actually craftsman, not farmers or frontiersman, so they had some problems figuring out how to survive in the New World.

Q: Your mother mentioned that your teacher Lynn Eckberg was a big inspiration when it came to your participation in this essay contest — what is it about her that helped inspire you?

A: Dr. Eckberg always encouraged me and believed in me, and that encouragement inspired me to enter the contest and work very hard on my essay. She was my teacher for the Spectrum Gifted Program throughout elementary school and middle school. She encouraged me to participate in many wonderful events and activities. I will really miss her when I go to high school.

Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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Essay Contests

The Davey Jackson Chapter NSDAR participates in the annual American History Essay Contest for students in grades 5 through 8.   In 2021, in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the Davey Jackson Chapter NSDAR will also participate in a new essay contest for high school students focused on figures of the American Revolution.   Details for each of these contests follows.  

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Celebrate America’s History!

Are you in grades 5 through 8? You are invited to participate in the American History Essay Contest

Topic for 2021-2022

November 11, 2021, marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Imagine that you had a brother who lost his life on the battlefields of France during World War I. You and your family attended the November 11, 1921, dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. Describe what this meant to you and your family. Why is it important to remember those who gave their lives to serve our nation?

Title of Essay:

“the tomb of the unknown soldier””.

Open to Grades 5 through 8 Length: 300-600 words (grade 5); 600-1,000 words (grades 6, 7, and 8)

One winner will be selected by the Davey Jackson Chapter for each grade level .   All entrants to this year’s contest will receive a certificate and grade-level winners will also receive a medal and monetary award.  All winning essays selected by our chapter will advance to the Wyoming state level competition.  The Wyoming state winner from each grade will advance to the divisional level. The divisional winners will advance to the national level where the winners are announced. All National winners will receive a certificate, medal and a monetary award.    Deadline for submission to the Davey Jackson Chapter is December 10, 2021. You can download official contest rules by clicking: ( 2021-22-AHEC_info )  

Patriots of the American Revolution

Dar high school essay contest.

Open to Grades 9 through 12 Length: 800 to 1,200 words

Topic: Select a figure from the era of the American Revolution (1773 – 1783). Discuss how he or she influenced the course of the American Revolution, who he or she was and his/her contribution to the founding of a new nation. Figures may be any person, whether a well-known figure or an everyday man, woman or child who supported the American Revolution in ways large or small.

Students are encouraged to use primary sources (i.e., immediate, first-hand accounts such as letters, diaries, speeches or newspaper reports) for their research, lesser well-known figures are acceptable, but subjects must have been actual participants, i.e. not fictionalized.

All entrants to this year’s contest will receive a certificate.  A single winner will be selected by the Davey Jackson Chapter and will receive a medal and monetary award.  The chapter winner will advance to the Wyoming state level competition.  The Wyoming state winner will advance to the divisional level. The divisional winner will advance to the national level. The National winner will receive a certificate, pin and monetary award.   

Deadline for submission to Davey Jackson Chapter is December 10, 2021. You can download official contest rules by clicking: ( Patriot_Contest_Info )

Have questions?  

Please contact the Davey Jackson Historian. [email protected]

We look forward to seeing your entries!

DAR  Library

Patriot Database

America 250 Celebration

Meet this Year's American History Essay Winners

The American History Essay Contest welcomes essays from students in grades 5 through 8, all centered on a theme that changes annually, often to commemorate the anniversary of an important event. The 2021-2022 American History Essay Contest commemorates the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. This monument was dedicated on Armistice Day in 1921, with a ceremony led by President Harding.

In their essays, students were asked to write from the perspective of a young person whose brother had lost his life in The Great War, and who had traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to be present with their family at the dedication. Students wrote about what this even meant to them and why they believed remembering those who gave their lives for our country is so important. 

This year, over 23,000 students entered the American History Essay Contest, from all 50 states. The Southeast Division was particularly active, with over 8,800 students participating, and the South Central and East Central divisions were also active with over 3,700 and 3,500 students participating, respectively. Chapters, states and divisions gathered the entries and enlisted a variety of distinguished judges to read and rank the essays. Winners from each level are forwarded to the next level. This committee wishes to thank the enthusiastic involvement of so many chapters across the country and in the Units Overseas.

The winners are:

First place

Elizabeth “Mei-Mei” Payne, a 5th grader from Kansas City, Missouri, who was sponsored by the Mission Hill Chapter in Kansas.

Catherine Hogan, a 6th reader from Farmington, CT, sponsored by the Abigail Phelps Chapter in Connecticut.

Lana Chan, a 7th grader from Cottonwood Heights, UT, sponsored by the Uintah Chapter. in Utah.

Alaina Voeller, an 8th grader from Newberg, Oregon, sponsored by the Yamhill Chapter in Oregon.

Second place

Abigail Lilly, a 5th grader from Marshall, North Carolina, sponsored by the Rebecca Sevier Waddel Chapter in North Carolina.

Ainsley Voeller, a 6th grader from Newburg, Oregon, sponsored by the Yamhill Chapter in Oregon.

Isadora Nassa, a 7th grader from Riverside, Connecticut, sponsored by the Putnam Hill Chapter in Connecticut.

Savannah Clingan, an 8th grader from Hays, Kansas, sponsored by the Courtney Spalding Chapter in Kansas.

Third place

Sophia Thompson, a 5th grader from Meridien, Idaho, sponsored by the Ee-dah-how Chapter in Idaho.

Mathias Mayo-Hostetter, a 6th grader from Los Angeles, California, sponsored by the Beverly Hills Chapter in California.

Phoebe Turner, a 7th grader from Kelly, Wyoming, sponsored by the Davey Jackson Chapter in Wyoming.

Sam Longhurst, an 8th grader from Lehi, Utah, sponsored by the Wasatch Range Chapter in Utah.

The first place winners from each grade will be presented with a pin, certificate and monetary award on stage at the Education Awards Night during Continental Congress. The second and third place winners will receive a certificate and monetary award. The National First Place Winners’ essays will be on display in the Americana Room during Continental Congress.

This committee is also delighted to see a number of familiar names: students who have entered in the past have entered again, and sets of siblings, both who have entered in their respective grade levels this year, and siblings who have entered over the past few years. We can see that students do enjoy this contest and look forward to writing essays again, and we thank all the chapters across the country and from Units Overseas for promoting this contest and making it such a successful way to reach out to our local communities!

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Local junior high students place in DAR’s American History Essay Contest

Post date: Mar 23, 2021 12:40:9 PM

The Old York Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently announced the winners of the 2020-2021 DAR American History Essay Contest. Six students from Wells Junior High School and one student from Noble Junior High School placed in the contest.

According to the national DAR website (dar.org), “The American History Essay Contest (created in 1956) was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation's great history and learn about history in a new light,” … “Essays are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.”

The Old York Chapter’s American History Chair Mrs. Barbara Carmone indicated that those who entered were required to write on the topic of the Boston Massacre, a pre-American Revolution confrontation between British soldiers and colonists. “Students were to imagine they were living in Boston and after witnessing the events of March 5, 1770, describe their family discussions about the Boston Massacre and what role it played in organizing the colonists against the British King and Parliament,” noted Carmone.

Those who placed include: Elana Michele Vennard of WJHS, First-Place 8th Grade Chapter Winner and Third-Place Maine State DAR 8th Grade Winner; Maren Robinson of Noble High School in North Berwick, Second-Place 8th Grade Chapter Winner; London Chadwick of WJHS, First-Place 6th Grade Chapter Winner and Third-Place Maine State DAR 6th Grade Winner; Saoirse Carrigan and Hailey Ann Worthing from WJHS tied, making both Second-Place 6th Grade Chapter Winners; Mason Colbeth, of WJHS, First-Place 5th Grade Chapter Winner and Second-Place Maine State DAR 5th Grade Winner and Deanna Ferris, of WJHS, Second-Place 5th grade Chapter Winner. Fourteen WJHS students, (four 5th graders, five 6th graders, and five 8th graders) entered the contest this year.

“The winners, as well as the essayists who did not make it to the winners' circle, did an exceptional job capturing this tragic and momentous event through their use of fascinating characters and strong emotion,” commented Carmone. Later this spring these students will be honored by the Old York Chapter. At that time all contest participants will be presented with certificates and gifts.

Apart from the junior high essay contest, DAR also recognizes good citizenship in high school seniors with the DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest created to “encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship.” This year WHS senior and vice president of her class, Kate Pinette was among three to receive the DAR Good Citizens Award from the Old York Chapter. Those that receive this honor have demonstrated the qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a women’s lineage and service organization for women 18 years and older who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. The Old York Chapter in York currently has 67 members. There also exists a National Society Sons of the American Revolution organization.

Top row, left to right : Deanna Ferris (WJHS Gr.5) ; Adina Hunter, Teacher at Noble (with), Maren Robinson (Gr. 8 Noble High School), and Hailey Worthing (WJHS Gr. 6).

Bottom row, left to right: Mason Colbeth (WJHS Gr. 5) London Chadwick (WJHS Gr. 6) Saoirse Carrigan ( WJHS Gr. 6) and Elana Vennard (WJHS Gr. 8). This image attached is provided courtesy of Barbara Carmone of the Old York Chapter of DAR.

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DAR announces essay winners

Congratulations

The Libertad Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution wish to recognize the following students for their excellent work on the 2019 American History Essay Contest.

The winners for our district were fifth grader Ollie Smith from Devers ISD in the elementary division. All three middle school division winners were from Liberty ISD. They were sixth grader Conner Giese, seventh grader Laci Kirkland, and eighth grader Lillie Knepper. Remington Jung, a tenth grader from Dayton High School won the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest.

Please make it a point to read these excellent compositions, and let these students know that we are all very proud of them.

One of the prize-winning essays follows.

The Voyage of the Mayflower

By Ollie Smith, Devers ISD, Fifth Grade

Tomorrow, I’m going to be getting on the Mayflower to go to the New World.  Right now I am packing all of the things that I will take with me. I’m packing clothes, wheat, peas, salt, rice, bacon, cheese, vinegar, a frying pan, kettles, skillets, napkins, dishes, spoons of wood, towels, and soap. I’m also packing some tools including a steel handsaw, hatchets, axes, grinding stone, chisels, hammers, shovels, and nails. Now that I am done packing, I am going to go to bed. I can’t wait to get up and sail to the New World.

The next day, I got all of my suitcases and went to the Speedwell (Speedwell is the name of the boat).  The Speedwell will take the other passengers and I to Delfshaven, the Netherlands, to Southampton, England, to meet up with the Mayflower. We departed England on September 6, 1620. The first half of the voyage went fairly smoothly. The only major problem was sea-sickness, but by October we began encountering a number of Atlantic storms that made the voyage treacherous. Several times we just had to drift where the weather took us when it was not safe to use the ship’s sails.

We intended to land in Northern Virginia, which at the time included the region as far north as the Hudson River in the modern state of New York.  The Hudson River, in fact, was our original intended destination.  We have received good reports on this region while in the Netherlands.  The Mayflower was almost right on target, missing the Hudson River just by a few degrees.  As the Mayflower approached land, we spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9.  We decided to head south, to the mouth of the Hudson River in New York, where we intended to make our plantation.

However, as the Mayflower headed south, it encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked. We then decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south, we would just stay and explore Cape Cod. We turned back, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor. We would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where we will build our plantation. On December 25, 1620, we finally arrived at Plymouth.  Plymouth has a calm harbor for the Mayflower, a river with fresh water, and flat land where we can plant our crops. “This is where we will build our village and establish the Plymouth Colony,” I said to myself.  We were all happy to be in America, but things are not getting any easier for us.  There is a cold winter coming, and we are not prepared!  We quickly built a main common house and then started to build small houses for each of the families.  Many people got sick and died over the first winter.  At one point, there were only six of us well enough to work.  By the end of the winter, there were about 47 pilgrims left.  55 pilgrims died during the first winter.  All of the pilgrims that died, died because of smallpox, chicken pox, bubonic plague, and the common cold. The first winter was very rough and the voyage to get here was very rough. I’m sure every other pilgrim would agree with me, but now that we are all here, we are all really happy.

I would not have changed anything I have packed because everything I packed we needed, and we didn’t need anything else.

Bibliography

• “Colonial America.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/history/colonial_america/mayflower.php .
• “The History of the Mayflower Ship.” History of Massachusetts Blog, 7 Sept. 2019, historyofmassachusetts.org/the-mayflower/ .
• “History of the Mayflower.” MayflowerHistory.com , mayflower history.com/history-of-the-mayflower .
• history.com Editors. “The Mayflower.” history.com , A&E Television Networks, 4 Mar. 2010, www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower .

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Bruce Drysdale 5th-grade student advances to national finals in DAR's essay contest

Bruce Drysdale fifth grader Lia Martinonis has advanced to the national finals in the Daughters of the American Revolution 2024 Essay Contest, and each time her essay has advanced, her family has celebrated with a cake.

She is anxiously hoping for more cake. Martinonis is one of eight fifth-grade finalists in the nation, and so far, she's won three awards for her essay — one at the local level, one at the state level and the latest for the Southeastern Division.

"I am unbelievably proud. I have felt both shocked and pleased each time I learned that I had won," she said.

And there's prize money involved: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place. The winners will be recognized at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Continental Congress, which is being held June 26-30 in Washington, D.C.

The topic for the contest was “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Essay writers were asked to imagine they were a newspaper reporter for The Philadelphia Times on May 14, 1897, and the newspaper's editor asked them to attend and report on the first public performance of John Philip Sousa’s new march, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The students were to tell about Sousa’s life and the story behind the song.

Lia was with her family on April 20 in Durham to receive the state award, her mother, Andrea, said.

"This essay contest has been an incredible experience for Lia. My daughter aspires to be a writer when she grows up," Andrea Martinonis said. "This opportunity has given her the confidence to pursue that dream. Lia researched the essay subject, learned about American history, honed her writing skills, and read her speech to a large audience at the initial award ceremony. 

"As an educator, I couldn't be more pleased that DAR sponsors this contest, encouraging students to write essays and learn about our nation's past. As a parent, I am thrilled that my daughter chooses to spend her free time reading and writing and that her interests and skills are being recognized."

More: North Henderson student one of four grand prize winners in national essay contest

Lia said her teacher, April Summey, assigned the essay contest to her class.

"I remember being frustrated when drafting my essay, but now I am so glad my hard work paid off. I still cannot believe this is all happening," Lia Martinonis said.  

This part of her essay describes Sousa talking about composing his new march:

"...Sousa said that he composed the song in his head on his return to America as he grieved the death of his beloved band manager, David Blakely. Sousa said, “In a kind of dreamy way, I used to think over old days at Washington when I was leader of the Marine Band…when we played at all public functions, and I could see the Stars and Stripes flying from the flagstaff.” He also stated, “And that flag of ours became glorified… And to my imagination it seemed to be the biggest, grandest flag in the world, and I could not get back under it quick enough.”

More: Apple Valley Middle student one of four grand prize winners in national contest

Summey called Lia a phenomenal, gifted student who "always goes above and beyond."

"She thrives on a challenge and is an avid learner. Her contagious curiosity shines brightly as she lights up upon acquiring new knowledge," Summey said. "Every year, my fifth grade students work on the DAR essay. They are given a prompt and required to read multiple primary and secondary sources about the topic in order to prepare. I am very passionate about the contest, because it helps students learn history and get excited about it." 

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at [email protected]. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

Daughters of the American Revolution recognize students across county

HILLSDALE — The US-12 Heritage Trail Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a service group focused on patriotism, education, historical preservation and veterans or military projects, recently held two award ceremonies.

The first recognized a Hillsdale Civil Air Patrol cadet Olivia Tritchka-Stuchell as an “Outstanding Cadet.” 

“The award was unexpected but really nice to receive,” said Tritchka-Stuchell. “As I get ready to graduate, I am pleased to see that the program is going to continue and grow. This award from the DAR is so encouraging to me and I am glad that future cadets will have the opportunity to be recognized as well.”

This was the first year the Silver DAR Outstanding Cadet Medal was offered, but Ann Schmidt, the regent for the local DAR chapter representing Hillsdale and Branch Counties, said the chapter plans to make it an annual award.

“We look forward to honoring our local Air Patrol Cadets yearly,” she said.

The medal is a part of the DAR’s National Defense Committee and is awarded to a student for participation in a non-ROTC, military-affiliated cadet program.

“It is presented to an Outstanding Cadet student who has demonstrated academic excellence, dependability, good character, adherence to military discipline, leadership, and a fundamental and patriotic understanding of the importance of cadet training,” said Schmidt. 

Heather Tritchka is the squadron commander for the Hillsdale Civil Air Patrol.

“It is an honor to have the cadets recognized by the DAR and selected to receive this award that encourages their continued service to community and nation,” she said.

Tritchka-Stuchell was singled out for recognition because of her initiative in starting up a Hillsdale chapter of the patrol. 

“Tritchka-Stuchell has been a strong leader and an excellent example of dedication and professionalism to the other cadets,” said the recommendation letter from the patrol. “Tritchka-Stuchell is the founding cadet for the Hillsdale program and has worked several years to help build the program—she is well deserving of recognition for her work and dedication.”

DAR also initiated a good citizen award program in 14 schools across Hillsdale and Branch counties. 

In each school, the administrators chose an outstanding senior who exemplified dependability, service, leadership and patriotism and those students were then invited to compete in a local essay contest. 

Subcribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content.

The winner of the local essay contest was Wade Brown from Camden Frontier. Brown’s essay was forwarded to the state DAR with the possibility of going to the national contest for contention to win an additional DAR scholarship.   

An additional 13 students were recognized at a reception with a Good Citizen certificate, pin, graduation honor cords, and gift cards.

Local Good Citizens Awards were presented to the following students: Ellen Dice, Will Carleton Academy; Everardo Lozada Gonzalez, Bronson High School; Aylah Wilson, North Adams High School; Rebecca McCafferty, Litchfield High School; Kiera Young, Hillsdale High School; Davin George, Quincy High School; Melissa Lynn Nichols, Pittsford High School; Julie Mach, Jonesville High School; Serenity Klingensmith,  Waldron High School; Jillian Hawver, Coldwater High School; Olivia Heckenlively, Hillsdale Academy; Kylie Sattler, Pansophia Academy; and Zoe Blythe, Reading High School.

— Elyse Apel is a correspondent for The Hillsdale Daily News. She can be reached by email at [email protected].

Ashland High School senior is local Daughters of the American Revolution essay winner

SHERBORN — An Ashland High School senior has been selected as this year's Framingham chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution local essay winner.

Emily Umholtz was selected from among seven area Good Citizen winners and selected by judges not affiliated with the DAR. She is a Student Council representative, a 2024 class officer and has been a captain for two years for ultimate frisbee.

Her future plans include attending college to major in chemistry, with a sub-focus in law and justice.

Umholtz was honored in February during the DAR's Good Citizen Award Ceremony at The Sherborn 1858 Town House.

Each year, the Framingham chapter of the DAR invites seven schools to participate in its Good Citizen Program.

Other students selected as Good Citizen winners by their schools included Alivia Toure, of Bellingham High School; Lunah Semprum, of Framingham High School; Reese Holmes, of Holliston High School; William Adamski, of Hopedale Junior-Senior High School; Caroline Kane, of Hopkinton High School); and Robert Lyons Jr., of Milford High School.

Each school’s faculty and student body committee choose one student from their senior class to become their school’s Good Citizen; students are recognized and awarded by the Framingham chapter of the DAR. Each Good Citizen must have and maintain the qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.

During the ceremony, Master Sgt. Andrew Baumgartner, of West Point Military Academy, served as guest speaker. He spoke of his love of education and his experiences during his years of service.

Also speaking was Vice President General of DAR Paula Renkas.

California, Texas students earn top prize in national civics education essay contest

Molly Justice Director of Communications & Online Media (757) 259-1564

Williamsburg, Va. (May 1, 2024) – California and Texas students have won top honors in the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) 2024 Civics Education Essay Contest.

Over the past decade, NCSC has challenged youth to reflect on civics education and the U.S. Constitution.

This year, students from across the country reflected on the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor's influence on civics education for American youth and her perspective on the importance of civic engagement by all citizens. Students addressed two age-appropriate questions about citizen participation in their communities and government.

NCSC President Mary McQueen said recognizing the late Supreme Court justice this year was especially fitting given Justice O’Connor’s passion for civics education.

"Justice O’Connor was deeply committed to educating the younger generation about democracy and the fundamental democratic principles that form our society,” McQueen said. “She believed civic participation beyond voting is vital to our democracy, and she urged citizens to become involved in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities."

The contest attracted 800 students from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Essays were scored based on the student's understanding of the topic, creativity, grammar, spelling, and style. The nine winners will receive cash prizes totaling $3,450.

The 2024 winners include:

High school (grades 9-12)

• First place - Daniella Cuevas, California
• Second place - Mattie Jane Carpenter, Georgia
• Third place - Jacob Hertz, California

Middle school (grades 6-8)

• First place - Sophia Ling, California
• Second place - Ashley Wagner, Massachusetts
• Third place - Anoushka Pandey, Maryland

Elementary school (grades 3-5)

• First place - Nicholas Jakimier, Texas
• Second place - Ana Cervantes, Kansas
• Third place - Faith Yono, Michigan

To read the winning essays, visit  ncsc.org/contest .

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Learn how DAR members selflessly and tirelessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I

Giving to the DAR

• Guardian Trust Endowment
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DAR Good Citizen

The DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest, created in 1934, is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship.

This award recognizes and rewards high school seniors who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. These students are selected by their teachers and peers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree.

• This program is only open to students whose schools are accredited and in good standing with their state board of education.
• Only one student per year may be honored as a school's DAR Good Citizen.
• United States citizenship is not required.
• Additional rules and guidelines can be obtained by contacting your local DAR chapter.

Once a student is chosen as their school's DAR Good Citizen the student is invited to participate in the scholarship portion of the program. This consists of a personal statement and an essay. Student participation in the scholarship portion of the program is optional.

Scholarships are awarded to essay winers at the chapter, state, division and national levels!

Click here for an informational PDF handout . If you are an educator, please contact your local DAR chapter for additional information about DAR Good Citizens Award. If you are a parent or student, please contact your school for information.

Please note: The DAR Good Citizens Award and the Youth Citizenship Medal (formally Good Citizenship Medal) are two different programs. For information about the Youth Citizenship Medal, click here .

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DAR members selflessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I