Smithville Student Honored with Statewide Award

Smithville High School Senior Shelby Yates is one of only 15 young people statewide to receive the 2011 Missouri Award for Outstanding Achievement in Citizenship.

School districts from across the state submitted candidates for consideration based on academic achievement, extracurricular leadership and community service. From those submitted, the Missouri State Board of Education and Missouri Bar Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education selected the 15 recipients to be honored.

The awards were presented at a luncheon held April 18 in Jefferson City at the Governor’s Mansion.

Yates was also recently recognized as the Missouri Youth Adult Alliance Youth Volunteer of the Year and by the local and district Soroptimist International of Kansas City with their Violet Richardson Volunteer Award. The honors were awarded to her for her prevention work with Youth With Vision (YWV,) a youth advocacy group of students from 14 school districts in Clay, Platte and Ray counties, working for the prevention of alcohol and other drug abuse in their schools and communities. Yates has served as the Co-Chair of the group, which is supported by Tri-County Mental Health Services, for the past two years.

Yates was also awarded an Excellence in Education scholarship from the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce at their Annual Banquet held in April.

In addition to her service to Youth With Vision, Yates has been named to the National Honor Society, and is an active volunteer for numerous civic and community outreach and service organizations and agencies.

A lifelong resident of Smithville, Yates is the daughter of Dennis and Donna Yates. She plans to enter the University of Missouri this fall to pursue a nursing degree.

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