Local Youth Earn Wyoming Congressional Awards

A number of Sheridan County youths are part of the 92 Wyoming kids that have earned bronze, silver and gold Congressional Awards from the Wyoming Congressional Award Council for 2020.

Thirty-eight youth received gold medals and 54 earned bronze and silver medals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person ceremonies were canceled in 2020. The 2020 Gold Medal Ceremony will be held during a Sept. 26 live-stream event.

According to a release from the Wyoming Congressional Award Council, medalists achieved a set of challenging goals in the areas of voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.

Participants in the Wyoming Congressional Awards program logged nearly 49,000 hours in public service, personal development and physical fitness in 2020.

Earning a bronze medal requires at least a seven-month commitment while earning the gold medal involves two or more years and 400 hours of service. In order to earn a Bronze medal, participants completed 100 hours of volunteer service, 50 hours of personal development, 50 hours of physical fitness and executed a one-night exploration or expedition. To earn a Silver medal, participants completed another 100 hours of service, 100 hours of personal development and 100 hours of physical fitness in addition to executing a two-night exploration or expedition.

The Gold Congressional Award is the most prestigious award for youth and the only award given to students by the U.S. Congress. In order to earn the Gold Congressional Award, participants must complete at least 400 hours of volunteer service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness and execute a four-night and five-day exploration or expedition. Gold medalists also receive a $1,000 higher education scholarship.

Those awarded from Sheridan County are Bronze Medalists Isabelle Cruz, Henry Dickinson, and McKailyn Malles; and Gold Medalists Nicholas Gale, Zachary Gale, and Weston Heeren.