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The Palatinate Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution are pleased to recognize four military connected seniors from DODEA high schools in Germany with the prestigious Good Citizens Award. These students have consistently demonstrated the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism to an outstanding degree.
The recipients from the graduating classes of 2021 are: Alexander Adams of Ansbach High School, Seth Kindberg of Baumholder Middle High School, Payton Anthony Long of Ramstein High School, and Angelina “Mikey” Stamper of Kaiserslautern High School. Each of these young people have demonstrated commendable leadership and volunteerism in their schools and communities while also maintaining rigorous academic schedules.
Alexander Adams possesses a competitive spirit both on the sports field and in the robotics lab. Earning a varsity letter in soccer, basketball, cross country, and baseball, Adams set an Ansbach school record for the 5K run. As a new enrollee at Ansbach High School his junior year, Adams immediately became an integral part of the Robotics Team leading them to a first place finish at the First TECH Challenge competition for DODEA Schools for two consecutive years. This year he was the lead programmer and project manager. Adams plans to continue in this career path, stating, “I am motivated to create influential algorithms that follow ethical standards to ensure a safe and secure future for generations to come.” Adams has also served his community through volunteer work at the base thrift store, but says his most meaningful volunteer experience was through a school club, Best Buddies, which organized parties for students with special needs and their families.
“Volunteering wasn’t an obligation, it was a pleasure. As the club gained popularity, our support grew, creating a flourishing club and a strong support system for the students and their families,” recalls Adams. According to teacher Daren Schuettpelz, “Alex displays an uncommonly high amount of empathy for others and often participates in groups and organizations that help others, especially those less fortunate or with disabilities, for no gain to himself.”
In addition to being selected as the school level winner for the Good Citizens Award, Adams was also selected by the Palatinate Chapter of the NSDAR as the Chapter Level winner and the Units Overseas State Level Winner.
Seth Kindberg has served the Baumholder community to such an extent that he was recognized as the Youth Volunteer of the Year for 2019. Through clubs like Keystone, EdRising, and National Honor Society (NHS) and organizations including the Baumholder Community Spouses Club and his church, Kindberg has planned, executed, organized, and participated in countless volunteer events and projects that benefit his community. Kindberg’s senior year service project for NHS was to clean the playgrounds and walkways in the on-base military housing area monthly. Also active in sports, he was a member of the soccer team and captain of the cross country team. According to teacher Stacie Brough, “Although Seth has an impressive list of personal accomplishments, he does not boast or brag. His genuine kindness and humility has led to both students and faculty viewing Seth with the highest regard.”
In the future, Kindberg hopes to become an Environmental Science and Engineering Officer in the US Army. According to Kindberg, “Being a military child has been a blessing in that it taught me to be patriotic. Not to accept my country as it is, but to accept it as it could be. Patriotism is loving one’s country enough to support its evolution, support those who fight to preserve it, and remember those who died to build it.”
Payton Long is best characterized by his endless enthusiasm. Heavily involved in his church youth ministry and also volunteering at the base gym, Payton describes how, “these service efforts have had a great impact on my life as I can see first hand how these opportunities can uplift the community and inspire others to do good deeds as well. By helping uplift the community, it creates a shockwave of positivity throughout the surrounding area; and when others emulate the good deeds, it helps strengthen the relationship of the community as a whole.” At school, Long also volunteers as a writing tutor at the Ramstein High School Writing Center.
Sponsor Heidi Kretz states that although Long is an intelligent writer, “what was more compelling to me was his kindness. These qualities make him an ideal writing tutor, guiding peers through a collaborative approach to improving their own writing.” In addition to his volunteer work, Long has been the captain of the European Games and soccer teams and a member of the football and track teams. He was also very actively involved in the marching band, Jazz, and Symphonic Bands and was first chair baritone of the Wind Symphony. He is a member of the NHS, Math Honor Society, Spanish Club president and recipient of the American Legion Academic Medal. Long plans to study international business relations and linguistics and pursue a career in the US Navy.
Angelina “Mikey” Stamper is very passionate about helping others and advocating for mental health.
Stamper was the president of a Big Buddies Club for four years, pairing elementary age students who have difficulty expressing themselves with high school buddies. This organization helps provide a sense of stability to students with adjustment issues from frequent moves and parental deployments. Stamper was also a member of the LGBTQ club and a member of the Upstanders group at his school, which is a select group of students supporting the psycho-social and emotional well-being of other students. Stamper believes, “When we help others, we are setting an example for others and inspiring them to also make a difference.” Mikey proactively reaches out to students that he sees may be having difficulties and talks with them in a safe, supportive way.
Teacher William Hovanic describes Stamper as “a magnetic spirit…who has always made sure that everyone’s rights and desires are addressed in a fair manner.” Stamper was also a member of the Advanced Band and hopes to combine his passion for music and mental health in a future career in social work as a music therapist.
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than one million members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations. DAR members are committed to volunteer service, having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world during the past three years.
To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media at facebook.com/TodaysDAR, twitter.com/TodaysDAR and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.
