Set to compete at Western Regional level with sights of making to Nationals
TEMPLETON — A Templeton High School Senior, John Nicholson, has won the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen award at the State level.
Nicholson first won the Good Citizen award at the local chapter level in 2021, put on by the El Paso de Robles NSDAR Chapter. He then won at the District 7 level before moving on to the State. Next, Nicholson will be competing in the regional competition, which includes several Western States. Then he will move on to Nationals. In 2016, Frances Osran from Templeton High School won the award at Chapter, District, and State levels.
The Good Citizen award is open to all accredited North County High School students. Schools are asked to nominate one student who exemplifies a Good Citizen’s qualities. Each entry must submit their high school activities, including how they serve the community, their future plans, extracurricular activities, and how they have exhibited the Good Citizen qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism. They must also submit their grade transcripts and two letters of recommendation. Once a student is chosen, they are asked to write a timed and proctored essay.
A panel of three community members who do not belong to NSDAR review all entries and select a winner. All panel members have backgrounds as teachers, newspaper writers, and public service. This year’s essay topic was “Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility to Protect It.”
In Nicholson’s essay, he focused on the question, “How do the qualities of a good citizen (dependability, services, leadership, and patriotism) help support our Nation?” He honed in on each quality tied them back into his own life.
He says, “The qualities of a good citizen are so important because good citizens are those who are protesting to preserve our heritage, helping to support our nation.”
Nicholson will be honored at the State NSDAR conference this March in Irvine. Each year the State chooses two entries, one boy and one girl, to move forward to Regionals.
In 2021, the El Paso de Robles NSDAR Chapter received entries:
- ACE Academy (Atascadero): Keaden Knight
- Paso Robles High School: Cecilia Martinez
- Shandon High School: Esmeralda Mendoza
Soon, Nicholson will know if he moves forward to the National level, but there is no known date for that announcement yet.
Betsy Beatty, Good Citizen Committee Chair for El Paso de Robles Chapter NSDAR, said, “When you stop to think of everything they have done—I’m very impressed with these kids.”
