Local DAR Good Citizens named

Posted: Friday, November 9, 2012 8:02 pm

Reelfoot Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution will honor three high school students as its annual DAR Good Citizens.
A special tea will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the family life center at First Baptist Church in Union City.
Grace Bruner is the representative for South Fulton High School.
She served as class president both her freshman and sophomore years in high school and as the Student Council secretary during her junior year.
She is a four-year member of the Beta Club, having served two years as treasurer and one year as secretary. She represented her club in the group talent competition and competed in quiz bowl and creative writing competitions, all on the state level.
As a four-year member of FFA, she has held the office of secretary and is currently serving as treasurer. She received the Greenhand Award and Chapter Degree and placed sixth in the West Tennessee Creed Speaking Contest.
Miss Bruner has also been a member of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America for four years. She is reporter for the club and has been vice president and secretary. She received first place in the Teach-n-Train STAR event at state level.
She has been a member of Future Business Leaders of America for three years and has held the offices of secretary and president. She placed second in spreadsheet applications at the regional competition and third  in Ms. FBLA competition at state level.
A four-year member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, she has served as secretary and is program director. She has helped coordinate See You at the Pole. Miss Bruner has also been a Pep Club member all four years of high school and has held the office of vice president for the club.
She has been a varsity cheerleader for four years and has received Most Improved Award, Coach’s Award and Best All Around Award. She has also been nominated as cheerleader of the game on several occasions.
She ranked second in academics during her freshman year and third during her sophomore and junior years.
Miss Bruner is a 2011 graduate of the Obion County Youth Leadership Program and attended Tennessee Youth Leadership Seminar and Volunteer Girls’ State. She received first place in the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s state speakers tournament and second place in the Gibson Electric short story contest.
During her high school career, she has volunteered her time for church, school and community activities. During her freshman year, she was a tutor at South Fulton Elementary School. She has participated in the Upward Christian Sports Program for two years as a cheerleader coach. She has taught Vacation Bible School for six years at McConnell Baptist Church and participates in Operation Christmas Child, Agape House Walk for Life and Mudding for Missions. She has also visited Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home on two occasions to bring supplies and to fellowship with the children.
In the community, she has participated in canned food drives, helped with pet shelters and shopped at Christmas time for families in need. As a member of the Beta Club, she has adopted a grandparent at the local nursing home and adopted a kindergartner, whom the club sent school supplies and homemade crafts.
As a member of the Obion County 4-H program, she has shown lambs for eight years, winning the carcass award, weight of gain award and loin eye award several years in a row. She has also been the winner for several senior high showmanship championships and has had two lambs win the reserve grand champion in livestock shows. She has been the Obion County Junior Livestock Association president and is currently its vice president. She has also been a member of the county’s livestock judging team.
She participates in her church’s youth ministry — Triple Cross Vision Ministry — which performs dramas and sign language songs. She has also taken part in Youth Sunday, where the youth take on the role of adults and teach.
Her employment has included babysitting jobs and being a poll worker for the Weakley County Election Commission. She is employed at South Fulton Elementary School in the after-school program.
She enjoys reading, working outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
Miss Bruner plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin to major in communications. “I am still undecided about which branch of communications I will take. I am very interested in agriculture communications, broadcasting and editorial journalism.”
Billie Dee Preuett has been selected from Obion County Central High School.
She has been a member of the Obion County Lady Rebel varsity basketball team, serving as captain. She has also been a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Christian Students Association, Health Occupations Students of America, Key Club, National Honor Society, Beta Club, Student Government, Pep Club, Foreign Language Club and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Her freshman year, she served as class secretary, was in the Top Ten, was named a Kiwanis Club Student of the Month and participated in Regional Mathematics Competition.
Her sophomore year, she was in the Top Ten, was Lady Rebels basketball team captain and received the Lady Rebel basketball Most Three Pointers Award.
As a junior, she was a Girls’ State Citizen, served as class president, was on the leadership team for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was worship leader for Christian Students Association and was Student Government representative for Beta Club.
She is also currently in the Top Ten in her class, is serving as vice president of her class, is on the leadership team for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is worship leader for Christian Students Association.
She attends Second Baptist Church in Union City, where she is a member of the Youth Praise Band and the New Beginnings Youth Choir. She has helped pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, has gone to Magnolia Place with Beta Club to play Bingo with the residents and delivered Christmas presents to homes for Chimes for Charity. She was a member of the youth band when she attended Woodland Mills First Baptist Church.
Miss Preuett has participated in hometown building projects and building projects in Nashville. She has been on mission trips to Columbus, Ga., for three years and plans to go to Honduras in January to lead worship and to minister to children in orphanages and to pregnant girls. She has also participated in church camps and youth revivals and she said she loves leading worship.
She has taken part in the Tea Party, freedom rallies and town hall meetings. She participated in the Aaron Vaughn 5K Memorial and the Aaron Vaughn Memorial Frogman Swim. She has been a part of the Girls State program and sang at the Veterans’ Memorial Hospital. She helped coordinate See You at the Pole at her school and was part of Connect. She is a blood donor, sings at Union City Manor with her church once a month on Saturdays and has volunteered in the physical therapy department at Union City Manor and at Baptist Rehabilitation Center.
She works as a tutor at Ridgemont Elementary School and also works as a babysitter.
When she graduates, she will be a Tennessee Scholar, Honors Graduate and Obion County Challenge Graduate and have dual credit hours in math and English.
Joseph Shanks has been named for Union City High School.
He has been honored as a Kiwanis Student of the Month and with the United States Achievement Academy Student of Excel-lence.
He has been a member of Beta Club for three years and has served as president of Skills U.S.A., vice president of Key Club and vice president of Student Government Association. He was a Boys State delegate, a representative at Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE) and a DAR representative. He is the student representative on the Union City School Board.
A four-year member of the football and baseball teams, he is a two-time defensive player of the week in football, received offensive player of the week in football and Most Improved Award in baseball. He has been awarded the Larry Hedrick Best Young Lineman Award.
Shanks has helped out at Union City Elementary School’s Christmas Carnival, worked many youth summer camps for baseball and football and volunteered to sort, pack and deliver food, toys and supplies for Chimes for Charity.
He is a member of Union City First United Methodist Church and its youth group and is a member of Young Life Union City. His summer job is chopping weeds in bean fields for Barnes Farms and mowing grass.
He plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, but is undecided on his major. He is looking at biology or accounting. “If I get my degree in biology, I plan to further my education and become an orthopedic surgeon. But, if I choose to get my degree in accounting, I will take my CPA and see where life takes me after that,” he said in his DAR application.

Published in The Messenger 11.9.12

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