Kyle Swimmer, State Honoree , 17, of Laguna, N.M., a senior at Laguna Acoma High School in Casa Blanca, formed an 11-member dance troop to share the dances and culture of the Laguna Pueblo tribe with other communities, and to inspire its Native American youth members to learn the language, stories and dances of his people. Raised by his grandparents on the reservation, Kyle had a strong role model for community service in his grandfather. “He always told me, as a true leader you never put yourself before your people,” Kyle said. Kyle, who is fluent in the Kerese language of his tribe, saw that many of his peers did not speak their native tongue, and were losing touch with their culture. He was worried that as the elders of the tribe died, there would be no one to carry on their traditions.

So three years ago, he decided to form the “Kitzit” Laguna Youth Dance Group and began recruiting youths who had a desire to learn the language and culture. With his own money, he hired local artisans to create costumes for the performances. Members meet a few times a week at Kyle’s home to practice the songs and dances and to learn the language. With the help of his mother, Kyle schedules performances for the troop and negotiates fees. Kyle has donated $1,000 of the money the troop earned from their performances to a scholarship fund in his grandfather’s honor that helps further the education of tribal youth. “I have watched kids come from single-parent homes doing drugs and not giving a care in the world about what happens tomorrow,” said Kyle. “I have seen them completely change into individuals who want to make a positive difference for our people.” In addition, Kyle also supports his community by helping to maintain the village ceremonial building, picking up trash, cleaning irrigation ditches, and participating in village meetings.

Scott Yarbrough, State Honoree, 13, of Rio Rancho, N.M., an eighth-grader at Mountain View Middle School, planned and taught a class on Boy Scout patrol development to 50 boys at a youth leadership training seminar held by his local scout troop. Active in scouting since the first grade, Scott had previously attended leadership training classes and had direct leadership experience as a patrol leader in his troop. While attending a weeklong national training program, he realized that he had the skills and desire to teach a class of his own. “By seeing how much these trainings helped me, I was inspired to help all of the current and future patrol leaders,” he said.

Planning his class took over a month. After talking with older scouts and advisors about the subject, Scott and a partner devised a lesson plan, a list of materials they would need, and posters and models to serve as visual aids. Although he was very nervous speaking to such a large audience, Scott skillfully discussed the stages of patrol development and how patrol leaders can identify and fix problems that typically appear at each stage. Before the class began, he instructed his students to build a shelter and observed how well they worked together. Then he cited this experience in his presentation to illustrate methods that were effective and those that were not. “The skills I taught can also be used outside of the troop in other organizations,” said Scott, who now uses them himself in student government and Boy Scouts.

Serina Pack, Distinguished Finalist, 16, of Silver City, N.M., a volunteer with the Grant County 4-H and a junior at Cliff School in Cliff, has created “C.L.I.M.B. (Creative Literacy in Motivating Book Reading),” a series of children’s literacy programs that motivate young children to read and express themselves artistically. Serina recruited teen mentors and worked with various community organizations to mentor more than 100 children through various workshops, motivational presentations, and free book exchanges.

Denali Wilson, Distinguished Finalist , 18, of Las Cruces, N.M., a senior at Mayfield High School, volunteers her artistic skill for a number of community projects, including “Keep Las Cruces Beautiful,” where she renovated a mural that was destroyed by graffiti. Denali also has created public murals to brighten low-income areas and volunteers as an art teacher for an after-school program for needy, homeless and abused children.