Vol. 42, No. 20

March 27, 2008

CONTACT:  JIM MORRIS
Director, Public Information
573-751-3469

15 High School Students to
Receive Citizenship Award

Fifteen public high school students will be honored by the State Board of Education Friday (March 28) as recipients of the 2008 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 Charlie Harris, president of The Missouri Bar. The Missouri Legislature established the citizenship award in 1990. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education conducts the award competition with assistance and financial support from The Missouri Bar. The citizenship award recipients are:

More than 40 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 Russell Thompson, president of the State Board of Education; D. Kent King, Commissioner of Education; Charlie Harris, president of The Missouri Bar; and Keith Birkes, executive director of The Missouri Bar. Each student will receive a plaque and a $50 U.S. Savings Bond.

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For more information, contact: Bill Gerling, social studies consultant for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (573/751-0398), or Millie Aulbur, director of law-related education for The Missouri Bar (573/635-4128).