Recently the Denver Chapter of the Colorado Youth Citizenship Awards honored 50 middle school students in Denver Public Schools for their outstanding citizenship.

Each student receives a plaque, a $50 United States Savings Bond, and participates in field trips into the civic and business communities. On April 29, the students and parents will be recognized at a banquet.

The Colorado Youth Citizenship Awards were founded in 1974 in the belief that whatever is honored and respected will be cultivated and rewarded in middle school students. It is affiliated with Colorado Awards, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to strengthen the foundations of freedom by promoting and rewarding excellence in education and civic responsibility.

The organization believes good citizenship is vitally important to the survival and fulfillment of the democratic concept of government.

Students are nominated by their teachers and/or persons in their community or school based on their involvement in the community and, in part, their academic achievement.

The 50 middle school students and the schools they represent are: Erik Luna, Ashley Perry, Juan Herrera (Baker); Ana de la Torre (Randolph); Jose Quijada (Cole); Johanna Combs (Denver School of the Arts); Alexandra Lynn, Briana Sullivan, Yhusef Ruffin (Dora Moore K-8 School); Shayla Marie Yon, Tori Fearce (Gove); Margaret Ann Miller, Michelle Oliphant, Patrick McNerney (Grant); Bran Mair, Rachel Diaz (Grant Ranch); Alia Gant, Chelsea Wells, Kristin Pilak (Hamilton); Devon Weimer (Henry); Shannon Barrows (Hill); Luciana Estrada (Horace Mann); Jessica Manzanares, Jessica Solis, Nguyen Nguyen, Vanessa Nunez (Kepner); Becky Miller, Jaleena Zendejas, Jennifer Lopez, Jovanna Quintana (Kunsmiller); Elvia Salgado, Jairo Medrano, Matthew Martinez (Lake); Tracey Tran (Martin Luther King Jr.); Jason Martineau (Merrill); San Janicki (Morey); Claire Ulrickson, Dora Sanchez, Gloria Jirsaraie, Linda Reneau (Place); Monique Sias (Noel); Cynthia Espinosa, Fabbio Vicente, Guadalupe Guiterrez, Julie Bainbridge (Rishel); Mathew Daisley (Skinner); Isabella Shaw (Slavens); and Leland Baptist (Smiley).

For more information, please contact Karen Fulghum Sear in the Office of School Community Partnerships, 720-423-3306.