Contributed Photo/Courtesy DAR: From left, officers of DAR Gila Valley Chapter Helen Masten and Vicki Foote present the DAR Good Citizen Award to Hunter Cluff, President of the Pima High School Student Council. Seven awards were presented to local students.
Contributed Article By Bonnie Briscoe/Courtesy DAR
GRAHAM COUNTY – The Gila Valley Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution recently presented the 2021 DAR Good Citizen Award to high schools in Graham and Greenlee Counties. This year, with restrictions lessened during the pandemic, the awards were presented by way of individual packets as well as in-person and virtual assemblies. One student was chosen from each senior class based on the exceptional ways they demonstrated dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. The process for making the selection varied with each school but included school administrators, teachers, counselors, and students from the senior class. The following are the honored good citizens and the school’s recommendations for this award:
Hunter Ann Lindsey, from Morenci High School, is an extraordinary young woman with exceptional qualities of creativity, diligence and work ethics. In an English class project, she developed an innovative and collaborative presentation. As head of the project, she ensured its success with her leadership skills that her classmates both admired and respected. Many times, she voluntarily assisted her peers in understanding more difficult concepts. Hunter is always willing to provide a helping hand regardless of the situation.
In addition to her classwork, she is an outstanding and active member of the varsity softball team, band, National Science Society, and Math Honor Society; maintaining a 3.25 GPA and being in the top twenty percent of her class. In addition to these extracurricular activities, she will graduate with an Associate Arts Degree from EAC ahead of her high school graduation, a direct result of her hard work and strong focus.
A special $100 donation was included in this award by the Amie and Danny Savage Family who lived in the Morenci area for many years but moved away several years ago. Amie, a DAR member, wanted to use this opportunity to recognize a deserving Morenci High School youth.
Hunter is the daughter of Jennifer Reid of Clifton.
Melissa Claridge, from Duncan High School, is valued by her peers for being trustworthy and honest. They respect her and look to her for advice and support. She has displayed exemplary leadership skills in her involvement with Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) on the local, district, state, and national levels. During her four years of high school, she also successfully participated in volleyball, basketball, tennis, and softball.
Outside of school, Melissa is proud to be part of her community, actively volunteering and participating in community events. This includes the Greenlee County Rodeo as timekeeper and recorder of those participating in riding events; assisting with elderly Thanksgiving dinners for her church; helping to plan and carry out the annual FFA chapter cemetery cleanup; participating in the FBLA Feed My Starving Children program; helping at the local food banks; and, with classmates, doing yard work for elderly unable to maintain their yards.
Family values are very important to Melissa. Being the youngest of four children, she looks up to her siblings who set examples for her in the home, community, and church. They have had an impact on her life goals by helping to guide her choices and decisions.
Melissa is the daughter of Mindy and Randall Claridge of Duncan.
Chris Vertrees, from Mt Graham High School, is very caring, respectful, friendly, and helpful to staff and students. He made new students feel welcomed by getting to know them and showing kindness. He is extremely hard-working and has an exceptionally good work ethic.
Here is an example of Chris’s work ethic. Academically, he was not a good student through middle school, causing him to be held back for a year. With determination, he chose to be homeschooled in order to catch up to his grade level while working for his dad’s auto detailing business. It was all work and no play.
With his drive to better himself, he succeeded in catching up and attended his last two years of schooling at Mount Graham High School. Not only did he catch up with his peers but attained enough credits to graduate ahead of his class.
After graduation, wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps to serve his country, he joined the Marines and is currently in boot camp. Based on his aptitude test, Chris will choose to be trained to serve in the security force regiment and receive diplomatic training to protect an embassy where he is assigned.
Chris is the son of Nicole and Chris Vertrees
Morgan Green, from Safford High School, is amazing, very pleasant, polite, and hard working. As an office aide, whatever task assigned to her, she performed that task effectively and happily. She is a friendly and trustworthy influence in the office and works well with the faculty and staff.
Morgan is an active member of the school’s GRIT Club (Great Role Models Initiating Togetherness) and was consistently ready and willing to help plan and carry out service projects. Some of the projects included cleaning up the school’s campus, putting up “YOU MATTER” signs throughout the Gila Valley to offer encouragement, and choosing teachers at random to help clean their rooms after school. Morgan mentioned her favorite part about this club was being able to help.
Through the GIFT program, she became a Licensed Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Tech and Phlebotomist Tech. She plans to use these skills and her caring nature in some aspects of the medical field.
Morgan is always willing to help in whatever way she can. During a SHS Mock Shooting training event for first responders, she applied makeup on some of the victims
Morgan is dedicated to her studies and the school and has been honored for her academic excellence, quality of character, and work ethic throughout her high school years.
Morgan is the daughter of Jennifer Cauthen & Michael Green of Thatcher.
Rachel Jones, from Thatcher High School, was praised by her friends when they were asked about her good citizen qualities. Without any hesitation, they remarked that she is an exceptionally good leader, because she is honest, dependable, very responsible and makes others feel included in whatever activity or discussion is taking place. She is always there when you need her, and Rachel never says anything rude about another person. She is always serving others even when it may not be convenient or may be out of her comfort zone. She is truly unselfish.
Rachel is the daughter of Dana and Russ Jones of Thatcher.
Hunter Cluff, from Pima High School, as student body president, has selflessly served the school and the community. He was never afraid to bring his ideas to the school administration and advocate for his fellow students. Hunter could be found at all school activities, always trying to better the school atmosphere. He worked tirelessly during the pandemic to make things as normal as possible for his classmates. Hunter planned dances, outside of school, for the students for Homecoming and Winter Formal. He was always willing to challenge ideas for the betterment of others in a polite and friendly way.
Hunter is the son of Rebecca and Justin Cluff of Pima.
Kyia Haws, from Fort Thomas High School, is an exceptional peer role model and great mentor with younger people, who look up to her. She is devoted to giving her all to whatever task she is faced with and steps in to do things when no one else will. As a kind and loyal friend, Kyia is very supportive and compassionate; always willing to help those around her. She is a good leader whether playing in all three sports (volleyball, basketball, and softball) or serving in a leadership role on the student council. During her first three years of high school, she was the president of her class and held an office in the student council. This year, she served as student council president. In addition to these leadership roles, she is active in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the Athletic Club, and the National Honor Society.
Whatever sport she is involved with, she enjoys being in the moment, playing that sport, even though she is more familiar with softball, having played it since she was little. She is competitive, whether it is academic or athletic, but winning, in her mind, can be seen in different ways. Here is an example of how Kyia views success.
This year, the softball team was made up of younger players who had not had the experience of playing as long as she had. Kyia helped them improve and understand the game of softball a little better. The team got better in playing the game, but each player improved in attitude and mindset, which also strengthened the relationships among the players. Seeing the team grow is how she sees their success, whether they won all their games or not.
Kyia is the daughter of Allison and Lee Haws of Pima
