Senior Max Sheils was recently recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Scholarship Program, an honor awarded to one senior from each participating high school. Selected by school counselors for his character and leadership, Sheils went on to compete in the program’s essay contest, ultimately earning second place in the region.
Sheils placed second in the essay contest, earning him a merit award and a bit of recognition within the region.
“I just got selected, wrote my essay about what it means to be a good citizen, and then I won second place,” he said.
While first place would have advanced him to the state level and potentially nationals, Sheils said he was still proud of what he earned.
“I have a pin that says that I was there and I have a certificate,” he explained.
The $75 merit scholarship will go toward his future schooling, and the nomination itself came with the support of school staff. Guidance Counselor Sarah Scaturro wrote his recommendation letter, and both she and Guidance Counselor Julie Basler were involved in setting up his participation in the program.
The DAR program highlights students who exemplify qualities such as dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism. Each year, counselors are asked to nominate one senior who reflects those traits. After being nominated, the student may choose to participate in a timed essay contest centered on citizenship.
Scaturro explained that the selection process begins within the school.
“So we recommend a student from our building – West does the same -, they have to qualify by demonstrating dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism,” Scaturro said. “We told Max we’re recommending him… he had to submit an application, write an essay, and then it went to the board, and they made the selection after that.”
In addition to the essay, applicants must receive letters of recommendation. Sheils received one from Scaturro and another from a teacher.
“We talked about it as a department,” Scaturro said. “He’s a student who’s always dependable, he’s a leader amongst band, stays out of trouble, is respectful to peers and staff members… we thought he would be a good person to represent. We take some other things into consideration, who has received rewards and stuff like that – we thought he was a good fit for those recommendations.”
Basler echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the broader character expectations tied to the recognition.
“We are asked by the DAR to select one student every year as our good citizen,” Basler said. “We look at qualifications like truthfulness, loyalty, punctuality, worthy of trust, courtesy, cooperation, self-control, responsibility, ability to inspire others, devotion to supporting the country and service members, appreciation for cultural and historical importance.”
While the recognition itself is an honor, the scholarship portion is optional. Students who choose to participate must complete a timed essay reflecting on what it means to be a good citizen.
“As part of the program, they can choose to enter into a scholarship contest, which is an essay contest,” Basler explained. “We determined that Max would be a great candidate for that. Leading through marching band, his character, always willing to help others – he just stood out to us as a senior.”
For Basler, the achievement was particularly notable.
“I’ve been doing things like this for 20 years, and I’ve never had a student qualify in second place,” she said. “So when he qualified in our region, I thought that was good. I think he is an exemplary representation of our school.”
