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Hazelwood Central Senior One of Only 15 Selected For State Citizenship Award
The Missouri State Board of Education and the Missouri Bar Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education chose Jessica Penland of Hazelwood Central High School to receive a 2009 Missouri Award for Outstanding Achievement in Citizenship.
Penland is one of 15 public high school seniors across the state to earn the award, given as a “record of quality performance in academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, and community service.” She was presented a plaque and a $50 savings bond at an awards luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City in late March. She attended the luncheon with her parents and teacher Michael Koester.
She was approached about applying for the award by guidance counselor Karen O’Hearn.
“She thought I’d be a good candidate,” said Penland. “She assisted me with the application process and took care of the recommendations. All I had to do was write the essay.”
The essay question focused on citizenship. Penland summarized her response.
“Citizenship is knowing that an injustice has been done, being conscious and aware of it, and then taking action to correct it.”
Students are nominated for the award by their schools. More than 40 nominations were received; judges used a 50-point scale to make selections. Application criteria included excellent grades, high-level challenging courses in government and/or citizenship, extracurricular activities related to government, public policy or community affairs, and a leadership role.
Penland was notified of the award just before Spring Break. “I felt really honored. At first, I thought there were 50 winners. When I realized there were only 15, it made it that much more amazing to me,” she said.
At the luncheon, she met the other winners. “I got to talk to people going to Brown and Stanford. It was really interesting to feel like I was in their league, I guess,” she said.
“The cool thing about the award is that everyone is on different life paths, but the recognition ties us together.”
“It’s a highly rewarding experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t know if I’ll be in a similar situation again. How many times do you get invited to the Governor’s Mansion to be honored?” she mused, smiling.
