Local DAR names Good Citizens, contest winners

Local DAR names Good Citizens, contest winners

Patriotic group promotes Constitution Week awareness

Special to the Evening Times MARION, AR – The Robert Crittenden Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has honored local students in the county for their contributions to the community and support of patriotic values.

The DAR Good Citizens program and Scholarship Contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. The program is open to all high school seniors.

The 2016 Good Citizens for Robert Crittenden DAR were Marion High School graduate Molly Ginn and West Memphis Christian School graduate Ashley Beyer.

Recipients of the DAR’s ROTC medal must have demonstrated loyalty and patriotism and earned a record of military and scholastic achievement during their participation in an ROTC program.

Students must be in the upper 25 percent of their classes in ROTC and in academic subjects.

Recognized with 2016 medals were West Memphis High School ROTC members Kayla Robinson and Coby McCoy.

The purpose of the Daughters’ American History Committee is to promote American history throughout the year by honoring significant historical people, places, dates, and events. At the elementary and middle level, fifth and sixth grade students from St. Michael’s Catholic School and seventh graders from Marion Middle School participated in the DAR’s 2016 national American history essay contest, with three winners named: Aiden Barber and Madison Guest of St.

Michael’s and Tatum Houston of Marion. The students’ topic was “A Colonial Family’s Reaction to the Stamp Act.”

All the student winners and participants and their families were honored by the chapter with a tea at the Guaranty Loan Room at Holiday Plaza Mall.

Also honored from St.

Michael’s were Ridge Crittenden, Claudia Foote, Alivia Hampton, Maddie Killingsworth, Miles Martin, Anne Marie Murphy, Abigail Pahls, Max Aiden Reece, Andre Valdes, Aaron Yarbrough, Kaiden McKinnon, Wesley Barber, Kameron Clarke, Ruthie Elliott, Elijah Love, Jameson Pugh, Taylon Vail, Siddalee Weaver and Asia Yarbrough and Marion Middle student Josh Resch.

The title of the 2016–17 American history essay is “Celebrating a Century: America’s National Parks,” 2016 being the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the parks system by the U.S. Congress.

Student contestants will be asked to pretend to write a journal while visiting one of the 58 national parks, including discussion of why and when it was established as a national park and what makes this park one of our national treasures.

Also as an outreach to Crittenden County, the Robert Crittenden DAR marked the anniversary of Constitution Week this Sept. 17-23.

To honor the Constitution’s ratification on Sept. 17, 1787, at 4 p.m., the DAR requested churches in West Memphis, Marion and all of Crittenden County ring their bells this Saturday.

The church bells will ring at 3 p.m. Central Standard to coincide with this nation-wide observance.

Also, the DAR has received city proclamations by Marion Mayor Frank Fogleman and West Memphis Mayor Bill Johnson commemorating Constitution Week in their cities. The documents will be on display at the Woolfolk Public Library and the West Memphis Public Library, respectively, along with sample “proclamations” for students to make a pledge to read the U.S. Constitution and pocket-sized Constitutions.

Area women who are interested in researching their background for an American Revolutionary patriot and becoming part of the DAR are welcome to leave a message at 870/514-5881 or mak10s@aol.com or at leighann.kennedy325@gm ail.com.

Marion Intermediate School read

These fifth graders from Marion Intermediate School read the entire U.S. Constitution during Constitution Week and are showing “proclamations” signed by their teacher and their parents declaring their achievement. The students took part in Constitution studies to commemorate Constitution Week, observed annually Sept. 17-23. Pictured, front from left, are Caroline Kennedy, Annie Maclin, Coby Hayes, Parker Nash; back, Kathryn Hood, Bryce Vornes, Kelsey Jefferson, Jorge Gomez and John Lancaster. They are students of Christy Miller, Donna Dillahunty and Kim Watson. The Robert Crittenden Chapter Daughters of the America Revolution sponsored Constitution classroom studies across Crittenden County by providing a Power Point presentation highlighting the election rules as outlined in the document. The DAR has also received city proclamations for Constitution Week which were displayed at the West Memphis Public Library and Woolfolk Public Library. For additional information about DAR and its programs, including student essay and art contests, visit www.dar.org, or leave a message at leighann.kennedy325@gmail.com or mak10s@aol.com.

Photo by Leigh Ann Kennedy

By Leigh Ann Kennedy