Daughters of the American Revolution present annual Naperville awards
The Fort Payne chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, based in Naperville, has presented scholarships and awards to numerous people in the community. They include:
- Saishreyas Peddainti, a senior at Waubonsie Valley High School, and Sophie Lin, a senior at Neuqua Valley High School, received the Daniel Webster Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship given to students who will be pursuing careers in math, science or technology. Peddainti plans to attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities majoring in honors biology. Lin plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and major in computer science.
- Katherine Roberson, a senior at Naperville North High School who plans to study elementary education and special education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received the $1,000 Fort Payne Educational Scholarship given to a local senior planning to enter teaching.
- The Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens program winners are Ani Apresyan, Metea Valley High School; Kaelyn Marie McGhie, Neuqua Valley High School; Audrey Hayes Hartmann, Naperville North High School; and Isabella Maria Olivares, Benet Academy. Good Citizen award winners were selected based on dependability, service, leadership and patriotism.
- The Excellence in American History Award was given to Julia Esser of Sts. Peter and Paul School in Naperville. The award is given to an eighth-grade student who demonstrates excellence in U.S. history. Applicants wrote an essay on why the Constitution is important.
- The Outstanding Teacher of American History Award was given to Edwin Q. Noel of Benet Academy in Lisle, who has taught U.S. history and political science for 38 years.
- The National Defense Distinguished Citizen Medals were given to Naperville police Officer Marty Franken for his 29 years of service and Naperville Fire Department Lt. and Community Advocate Response Team Coordinator Bill Kostelny for his 21 years of service.
- Kirsten Renn was named the Fort Payne Outstanding Junior Member, presented to a woman between the ages of 18 and 35.
- Don Johnson, a Lisle community volunteer, was given the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for his work documenting and preserving history in Lisle as well as the Lisle Cemetery and with the Lisle Heritage Society.
- Constitution Week Awards were given to Tom Hartmann and Madeleine Miller for their work creating an original film using interviews with people in downtown Naperville.
- The Outstanding Dedication to Veterans Award was given to U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Capt. Jennifer Slown for her work in getting a Gold Star Family Monument erected in Naperville and for supporting the mental health of veterans.
- Kelly Dougherty and Kristy Kennedy were given the 2024 Community Service Award for founding the Naperville Tornado Relief organization and helping 60 neighbors whose yards were full of glass and debris after the 2021 tornado.
- Outstanding Dedication to the Community Award was presented posthumously to the late Ron Keller for his dedication to the Naperville Municipal Band since 1951. His wife, Vicki, accepted it on his behalf.
League of Women Voters holding program on ‘mis/disinformation’
Michael Spikes, director of the Teach for Chicago Journalism Project and lecturer at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, will be the featured guest speaker for a program being presented by the League of Women Voters’ Mis/Disinformation Task Force.
The virtual program, free and open to the public, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.
The presentation will talk about media literacy. Spikes said in a news release the need for media literacy skills is needed as people try to distinguish fact from fiction in the huge influx of information now available online and through media sources.
Spikes has spent more than 15 years in media literacy education. His research is centered on encouraging critical thinking to limit the effects of exposure to misinformation and disinformation, LWV officials said. He was a 2022 recipient of the Illinoisan of the Year award by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association.
Register for the presentation at www.bit.ly/lwvil522.