By Bonnie Briscoe, DAR Member
DAR and student contributed photos
In May, the Gila Valley Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution presented the 2025 DAR Good Citizen Award at honor assemblies at high schools in Graham and Greenlee Counties. One student was chosen from each senior class based on the exceptional ways he or she demonstrated qualities of 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, their qualities and involvement in activities for this award:
Cameryn Woodall, from Morenci High School, whatever she puts her heart into, she is dedicated until it is accomplished. She knows how to fight through adversity like she does when on the softball mound. She was a 4-year Varsity letterman of the softball team and gave her best, not because of her love of the game, but her sense of dedication to her coaches and teammates.
During the summers, she worked with young softball players, teaching them the fundamentals of pitching and hitting. She is the best big sister and role model for younger students. In addition, she volunteers as an umpire for the local little league. These experiences have taught her the value of giving back and supporting others in the community.
In working with the Student Council, she helped put on school assemblies. As an office aide, she displayed excellent customer service skills. She was an active member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. Being involved in all these activities, she feels it has helped her to grow as a caring leader and team player. To Cameryn, good citizenship means leading with integrity, serving others with compassion and being reliable when it matters the most.
Camille Miller, from Duncan High School, was chosen as a Good Citizen because she is a leader among her peers and very helpful in any situation. Many times, she has been seen helping her dad move cows and sprinklers after school and on the weekends. She is a pleasant ray of sunshine.
In FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), she competed in Computer Application, placed second at state and went on to Nationals. She excels in Microsoft PowerPoint and Word and enjoyed competing with her friends and doing well in competitions, which gives her the desire to go into a business career.
In FFA (Future Farmers of America) she competed with the Range and Agronomy teams, enjoyed learning all about grasses and their properties. She placed at state and competed with the team at Nationals.
Being a member of 4-H for nine years, she enjoyed showing chickens, but mostly enjoyed indoor exhibits, which included baking, sewing and quilting. As president of her 4-H club, she had fun encouraging and teaching kids in her club to learn new skills and enjoyed watching them grow.
At her church, she has been president of her class for a number of years, helping with planning activities, meeting the needs of her class and the helping them to grow as individuals. Every summer she helps to plan a week-long camp where they do fun activities, build relationships and learn about the Lord.
Jacob Ochoa, from Mount Graham High School, is one of those students who was always willing to help when needed. As a student he was always respectful and attentive as well as being nice to his peers. He greets others with a smile and has a sincerity about him.
He cares about his community along with causes that help to make his immediate environment a better place to be. Around the school, he helped in whatever way possible to keep the school looking nice. In the area where students take breaks and eat their lunches, he helped put together new tables and chairs. With school events, he could be counted on to always help where needed.
As a member of the school’s FCCLA (Future Career Community Leaders of America), he helped in the snack bar to raise funds for the club. As a student in the Culinary Arts program, for two years, he helped provide plates of chocolate-covered strawberries for the DAR student scholarship fundraiser during Valentine’s week.
At the end of this school year, he was chosen by the school principal as one of the three most helpful students at school. When asked what are his plans for the future, he said, “To live my life the best I can and to be the best mechanic I can be.”
Elyssa Marin, from Safford High School, who goes by “Ely”, is a kind, polite, friendly, considerate, determined and hard-working student who teachers enjoy having in class. In her 4 years of high school, she has grown into a wonderful, fantastic young lady! Her teachers feel that she is very deserving of this good citizen award.
Early on in her high school years, she was involved in Student Council, played on the Varsity soccer team, was a member of FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America) and helped for a short time with the Bulldog Food Pantry.
Outside of school, she volunteers at the First United Methodist Church for the Food Bank and with the church’s live-streaming technology. She also works with Mr. EJ Romero, the Safford High School soccer coach, for the American Youth Soccer Organization summer camps. She is considered to be very dependable, with an upbeat, caring nature.
She presently works at Walmart, part time, which fills up most of her free time. Despite the time involved between school and her part-time jobs, she keeps up good grades and thoroughly enjoys providing kindness and mindfulness to those around her, no matter where she is.
Richard Ortiz, from Thatcher High School, since his freshman year, Richard has been the type of person who holds the door open for everyone and gives them a high five when they walk through the door. He’s kind to every single person and genuinely cares for people. He never says a bad thing about anyone and always wears a smile on his face. He has a good heart and has been the ultimate example of a good citizen at THS the past 4 years! He often asked teachers and other students about their day and truly listens and cares about their answers.
Richard is involved in a variety of activities at school. There is the National Honor Society, Student Council, Show Choir & Quintets, Track & Field, and score keeper for the basketball & volleyball games. In addition, he finds time to volunteer with the Feed My Starving Children program, packing bulks of food for worldwide distribution.
Outside of school, he served as a volunteer with the BLM restoration work at the Sanchez Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, and serves as an usher, youth speaker and media assistant at The River Community Church.
Richard was raised in a Christian home and only knows how to serve and love others with the love of Jesus. His inspiration truly comes from his Lord, his family and church, and the most caring faculty at Thatcher Schools since he was in 2nd grade. He loves seeing people smile and for them to know they are needed and loved. As one teacher said, “We need so many more people like him!”
Hunter Gardner, from Pima High School, his band teacher, Mrs. Bennett, has watched him grow into a leader who is compassionate, courteous, and always willing to put in the work that it takes to become successful. Hunter has been reliable, punctual, and always willing to help out those around him.
He takes the time to get to know his fellow class mates, and has shown patience and compassion toward those classmates. He gets along with everyone, and always has a positive attitude through those interactions. With his participation in band, he has performed at local parades and events that support our community.
Through the GIFT program, Hunter took Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Technologies classes at EAC because his goal, as a State Trooper, is mainly to get drugs off the street and, overall, try to be a good role model. He was encouraged to go into law enforcement when he saw people he knew struggle with drug abuse and what it did to them.
He currently has an offer to join the Arizona Department of Public Safety Task Force at the beginning of 2026, giving him a head start into the state trooper academy when he turns 21. As his band teacher expressed, “He will continue to keep our community safe and secure.”
Allen Gilbert,from Fort Thomas High School, has participated in football, basketball and baseball and has learned a lot about teamwork and realizes the importance of being there for practice, showing good sportsmanship, having a good attitude and being respectful.
Outside of school, he has worked for 3 years at a tea shop in Bylas called “Nutrition with a Native Twist”. He helps the tribe with walking and running events. He also helps to distribute cases of water and food in his community when times get hard.
Already, Allen has started working on his plans after high school to be a wildland fire fighter. He is definitely physically fit, because he has passed the pack test. This test required him to walk a 3-mile distance (not running or jogging but keeping his feet flat on the ground) over level terrain while carrying a 45-pound pack. Here is the catch as well as being amazing, he has to do this in 45 minutes or less. In staying in good physical shape, this will allow him to move with that 45-pound pack over terrain that is not so level when fighting fires. In addition to passing the pack test, he has already taken and passed the necessary training courses; therefore, Allen is certified to be a wildland firefighter. He will be fighting fires this summer and, knowing the risks involved, he hopes to still be fighting fires until he is very old.
The Gila Valley Chapter members presenting the DAR Good Citizen Awards at the high school honor assemblies were Sue Ellen Angle, Bonnie Briscoe, Louise Edwards, Sheila Hartner, Talana Hooper, Kerry Kelley, Helen Masten, Deanna Moeller, Peggy Moon and Amie Savage.
