Emily Stiles of Italy High School was one of 14 high school seniors from Ellis County recognized at the Rebecca Boyce Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot’s Tea held Sunday afternoon in Waxahachie.

Leslie Deen, Regent Beverly McCullough and Glinda Felty, Good Citizen Committee, introduced each senior and highlighted their attributes. Each senior received a DAR Good Citizen’s Pin.

The pin has 13 stars representing the 13 original colonies. The band of blue just inside the stars identifies it with our society. Four books are centered which are labeled dependability, service, leadership and patriotism which suggest school days. These are the qualities emphasized by the DAR. A Laurel Wreath of Honor circles the books with a Torch of Understanding behind the books.

The other seniors honored at the Tea included Patrick Fretwell, Waxahachie Prepatory Academy; Taylor Falzerano, Milford High School; Bronwyn McNully, Waxahachie Global High School; Morgan Scruggs, Avalon High School; Caleb Neal, Waxahachie High School; and Josiah Gray Holland, Midlothian High School. Others are: Kyle Massingill, Red Oak High School; Jaime Rain Galetka, Waxahachie Faith Family Academy; Mattie Jaye Smith, Palmer High School; Blair Betik, Ennis High School; Anna Fouts, Ferris High School; Hannah Oakes, Ovilla Christian Academy; and Lindsey Vitale, Life School Red Oak Secondary.

Stiles has been in the band since junior high and has been a drum major the past two years. She has been on the student council four years and is secretary this year. She is also secretary of the National Honor Society. Currently Stiles serves as library aide at the school.

She has participated in the senior class food scavenger hunt gathering food for the local food pantry. She also assisted the Lions Club with Santa pictures during the Christmas festival.

Last summer, she went with a group from Central Baptist Church on a mission trip to Athens, Greece, where she helped with Vacation Bible School and helped teach English to Albanian refugees.

Stiles, daughter of Clover Stiles of Italy and Mark Stiles, plans to attend Sam Houston State University after graduation and major in criminal investigation.

Lee Joffre, high school principal, said, “Emily is a student who deserves to be recognized for her character. She has worked hard to achieve academic success while maintaining the personality of a well-rounded individual. We are very proud of her accomplishments.”

Stiles’ guests at the annual Patriot’s Tea included her parents; Lee and Cassie Joffre, high school principal and high school librarian; Lisa Jacinto, friend and academic aide at the high school; Joe Mac Pitts, friend and classmate; and Alysa Kirton, Bible Study teacher.

The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history and securing America’s future through better education for children.

DAR members volunteer more than 250,000 hours annually to veteran patients, award thousands of dollars in scholarships and financial aid each year to students, and support schools for underserved children with annual donations exceeding one million dollars.

As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 177,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership.