Jean Nicolet Chapter
Wisconsin Society Daughters
of the American Revolution
De Pere - Green Bay
DAR Objective:
Education
Providing Education within our communities has been a goal of
the Jean Nicolet Chapter from its organization in 1906 to the present. This
objective includes sponsoring American History Essay contests, sponsoring our
Children of the American Revolution Society, assisting American Indians with
financial and scholarship aid, organizing Junior American Citizens clubs,
promoting DAR Good Citizens, funding DAR Scholarships and DAR Schools, and
getting involved in adult literacy programs.
The Jean Nicolet Chapter’s first American History Essay
Contest was offered in 1908 to the senior high students of De Pere High School
for the best historical essay on an American subject. Seventeen contestants
entered, each one trying to win the coveted prize of five dollars. Miss
Katherine Mailer, whose subject was: “The Generalship of George B. McClellan
during the Civil War,” won first place and the judges’ second choice was Roy
Brooks’ essay, “X Y Z Affair – Our Strained Relations With France, During
1797-98.”
Throughout the years the
American History Essay Contest has been open to public,
private, and parochial schools, and registered home-study programs. Currently
students in grades five through eight are invited to participate. The first
place winner’s essay in each of these four grades is sent on to be judged at the
state level. The essay winning at state level is sent on to be judged at the
division and the national level. Two of our chapter essay contest winners in
2002 also won the state American History Essay Contest awards.
By 2005 the area covered by Jean Nicolet Chapter had grown to include Brown,
Door, Kewaunee, and part of Manitowoc and Outagamie counties. In May 2005 the
American History essay contest was about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, “Along
the Trail with Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery.” Students were asked to
imagine themselves as members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and write
journals about their experiences. However, because the students were not
allowed to choose either Lewis or Clark, they needed to carefully research the
lesser-known characters of the expedition.
To learn more about this year's essay contest,
click here.
Christopher Columbus Essay Contest
The Christopher Columbus Essay Contest is
sponsored by the NSDAR and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF).
In 2007, a Wisconsin student's essay won the National Title.
To learn more about this year's essay contest,
click here.
DAR Good Citizens
The DAR Good Citizens committee was created in 1934 as the
DAR Good Citizenship Pilgrimage – an all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC –
offered to senior girls from four-year high schools, who possess good
citizenship qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in
their homes, schools, and communities. United States citizenship is not
required.
The original state award was changed in 1942. Instead of a Pilgrimage to
Washington, the winner was awarded a $100 Victory Bond and a lovely gold pin.
In 1952 the name of the committee was officially changed to the DAR Good
Citizens Committee, and monetary awards were presented to winners.
The chapter has continued to sponsor the DAR Good Citizens Award throughout its
history. Currently twenty-four high schools in Brown, Kewaunee, and Door County
are eligible to nominate students for this award. Students are selected based on
the qualities of Dependability, Leadership, Service, and Responsibility.
Students who win the school award are eligible to submit an essay for the
chapter competition. The winner of the chapter DAR Good Citizen Award receives a
scholarship award from the chapter. Chapter winners are eligible for the WSDAR
state DAR Good Citizen award.
Our first
Outstanding Teacher of American History award was
given to Mr. William Collar of Seymour, and the second was made to Mr. Leonard Kazmer of Green Bay West High School. Our chapter continues to honor outstanding
teachers.
To learn more about the Outstanding Teacher of
American History Award,
click here.
Literacy Promotion Committee
Jean Nicolet Chapter members have actively supported the
goals and objectives of the Literacy Promotion Committee. Throughout its
history the chapter has donated items to the Brown County Literacy Council, and
several chapter members have served as Literacy Council volunteers and chairmen.
ROTC Medals
Gold and bronze ROTC medals are presented by the Jean Nicolet
Chapter to outstanding college cadets. The chapter’s first ROTC award was
presented in 1969 to Cadet Lt. Col. David Allen Reiser of New Holstein, a senior
at St. Norbert College, and the second one was presented in 1970 to Cadet Major
Ronald F. Blaha of Racine, also a senior at St. Norbert College.
Children of the American Revolution
Children of the American Revolution was founded in 1895 by
the National Society DAR to provide training in patriotism and leadership to
today’s youth. The Jean Nicolet Chapter proudly sponsored a C.A.R. Society in 1978
and named it “La Baye” Society. Mrs. Marian Campshure gave adult leadership and
guidance to the nine charter members.
There are currently eleven members in La Baye Society C.A.R. Members of La Baye
have served as color guard and provided music for Jean Nicolet Chapter meetings.
American Indians
The NSDAR American Indians Committee has assisted American
Indians with financial and scholarship aid since 1936. That same year the Jean
Nicolet Daughters arranged for a program to be held at Oneida to unveil a
personal letter from President Coolidge to the Oneida Indians, commending them
for their services in World War I.
Chemawa Indian School
Chemawa Indian School, located in the Willamette Valley,
Salem, Oregon, is the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the
country – one of two Indian schools nationwide supported by the National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution. Chemawa serves a diversity of Native
American Tribes and Alaskan Natives.
DAR Schools
Since 1903 the National Society DAR has focused on the
education of disadvantaged young people resulting in the founding of two DAR
owned and operated schools – Kate Duncan Smith School and
Tamassee
DAR School.
In addition to these two, financial support is given to other DAR sponsored
schools, namely: Berry College,
Crossnore School,
Hillside School, Inc., and
Hindman
Settlement School.
Throughout the years our chapter has supported all the NSDAR approved schools
with both money and needed items including clothing. We have also given
financial support to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, in the form of
scholarship money and monetary gifts towards the DAR Library located on the
college campus.
DAR Scholarships
The Jean Nicolet Chapter Scholarship is
presented annually to an outstanding American history student in the Greater
Green Bay school area. The scholarship encourages the three purposes of the DAR:
historic preservation, education, and patriotism. It was established in May 1978
as a memorial to the memory of Mary McCrary, Jean Nicolet Chapter regent from
1956 to 1958.
The chapter also writes letters of recommendation for local
students who wish to apply for
DAR national scholarships.
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Email:
JeanNicoletDAR@gmail.com