By Staff
special to The Star
March 18, 2004
The Mississippi State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently held its annual state conference at the Hilton in Jackson. The DAR Good Citizens were recognized Feb. 21 at the National Defense Luncheon.
Winner of the state title was Blake Olmsted. A senior at Lamar School in Meridian, he is the son of Don and Janet Olmsted. He received a $250 scholarship, a DAR Good Citizen pin and a certificate.
Olmsted received a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 4 in his honor a gift from Rep. Chip Pickering, R-District 3. He was sponsored by the Samuel Dale Chapter of the DAR in Meridian. Olmsted will now compete for the title of National DAR Good Citizen.
First runner-up was Mitchel Rivers McCaskell of Crystal Springs, sponsored by the Copiah Chapter of the DAR.
Second runner-up was Candace Nicole Oswalt of Grenada, sponsored by the Grenada Chapter.
Receiving honorable mentions were: Joel Jordan Downs of Brandon, sponsored by the Chief Red Jacket Chapter; Daniel Stephen Hendry of Collins, sponsored by the Shadrack Rogers Chapter; and Courtney Morgan Kimbrough of Saltillo, sponsored by the Mary Stuart Chapter.
The DAR Good Citizen program recognizes outstanding high school seniors. To be eligible to participate in the DAR Good Citizen program, students must be seniors enrolled in accredited public or private secondary schools in good standing with the State Board of Education.
Each school selects one student as its DAR Good Citizen based on whether the student's life reflects the qualities defined by the DAR as those of a good citizen namely dependability, service, leadership and patriotism. The chosen student is then allowed to participate in the State Good Citizen Scholarship Contest.
Olmsted is on the baseball and football teams at Lamar. He is vice president of the National Honor Society and a Student Council class representative. He is listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students and is a Wendy's High School Heisman nominee for Lamar School. He attended the Lott Leadership Institute Conference.
He is a National Merit semi-finalist and is involved with many other school, church and community organizations. Olmsted is a member of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church. He is an Eagle Scout. As his Eagle Scout project, he coordinated and carried out the restoration of the small, rural Pine Hill Baptist Church Activities Building.
Olmsted, who plans to become an orthopedic surgeon, will attend the University of Mississippi.