Audrey Faith Dunn of Benson named a district winner
DURHAM – Westyn Cody Woodard, a senior at Lake Lure Classical Academy, was named the North Carolina Society Daughters of the American Revolution’s (NCSDAR) state winner of the DAR Good Citizen Scholarship Contest. Woodard competed against students from across the state to earn this honor and was recognized during the NCSDAR’s annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the 124th State Conference.
“The DAR Good Citizens Scholarship Contest is one of the most prestigious scholarships that our Society awards. We find ourselves amazed year-over-year at the accomplishments and academic achievements of students who participate,” said State Regent Anna Baird Choi. “Our Daughters can’t help but be optimistic about our future when we meet these outstanding Good Citizens and Westyn C. Woodard is certainly no exception.”
Founded in 1934, the purpose of the DAR Good Citizens Committee is to recognize and reward high-school seniors who exemplify the qualities of a good citizen: dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism.
Westyn Woodard was awarded the N.C.DAR Good Citizens Scholarship of $500 and the NCSDAR Gertrude Carraway Scholarship of $2,000.
The Gertrude Carraway Scholarship was established in 1983 to remember N.C.’s only NSDAR President General and the woman who lobbied successfully for the creation of Constitution Week. Therefore, it is a most appropriate scholarship to be given each year to NCSDAR’s State DAR Good Citizen.5
Westyn Woodard was sponsored by the Griffith-Rutherford Chapter and was the NCSDAR District I winner before earning first place as the 2024 NCSDAR Good Citizen and overall scholarship winner. He is the son of Tara Lembright and Cody Woodard of Lake Lure, N.C. Woodard plans to attend High Point University in the fall to major in biology/biochemistry.
The first runner up was Blake Andrew Farmer who is a senior at Ronald Reagan High School in Pfafftown, N.C. Blake will receive a $400 scholarship. Blake was sponsored by the Colonel Joseph Winston Chapter and was the NCSDAR District IV winner. He is the son of Brent and Tracie Farmer of Winston-Salem, N.C. and will attend the United States Airforce Academy beginning this summer where he has been accepted into the Martinson Honors Program.
State finalists included the following DAR Good Citizens as named by their chapters and NCSDAR Districts.
- Quaker Meadows Chapter and District II Winner: Kennedy Grace Owens of Morganton, N.C.
- Clear Creek Militia Chapter and District III Winner: Braden Andrew Davis of Concord, N.C.
- Alexander Martin Chapter and District V Winner – Zein Elijah Owies of High Point, N.C.
- Smith-Bryan Chapter and District VI Winner – Audrey Faith Dunn of Benson, N.C.
- Stamp Defiance Chapter and District VII Winner – Sarah Ann Layton of Wilmington, N.C.
- Micajah Pettaway-Halifax Resolves Chapter and District VIII Winner – Owen Dempsy Lord, Nashville, N.C.
“I am amazed to hear stories from various people who remember being their high school’s DAR Good Citizen. They often state they still have the certificate and pin they were awarded ‘all those years ago’ and it’s great to know the impact that one will feel when being named the DAR Good Citizen, whether they are the scholarship winner or not,” commented Robynn R. Rutledge, State Chairman for DAR Good Citizens. “The simple fact is that all of these students are winners.”
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890.
