CALAIS – The city’s top youths were honored Wednesday as part of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans 2000-01 Youth Seminar and Scholarship Program.

Meghan Day, Julie Reynolds and Paul Storey were recognized before an assembly that included local people and guests.

Day already had been awarded a $10,000 scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where scholarship recipients from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were recognized.

While in the nation’s capital, she had an opportunity to meet members of Congress and the president.

Reynolds was presented with a $1,500 scholarship and Storey received a $500 scholarship.

Since 1947, the Horatio Alger Association has worked to educate young people about the possibilities available in a free enterprise system. This year, the association awarded more than $1.8 million in college scholarships.

This is the second time in the past decade that Calais High School has been so honored.

Eight years ago, then-student Brian Kubeck represented the school in Washington. Kubeck was in Japan on business Wednesday and was unable to attend the ceremony.

Calais High School was nominated and selected as Maine’s Horatio Alger School for the 2000-01 year because it had demonstrated dedication and hard work in overcoming significant adversity to become a leader in education, said program organizer and high school teacher Rick Chaffey.

A few years ago, the high school was placed on academic probation by a regional accrediting agency. During the past few months, its accredited status was restored.

Wednesday’s seminar was devoted to people who have overcome adversity and made a success of their lives. Speakers included Mayor Eric Hinson and local historian Joseph Nicholas of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

In introducing Nicholas, Chaffey said, “One of the main ideals of Horatio Alger was an individual’s desire to achieve success and overcome challenges.”

Chaffey said that although Nicholas, of Pleasant Point, had not achieved the financial success of a Bill Gates or given away millions of dollars, he had achieved something greater. “He has almost single-handedly given rebirth to a culture that was beginning to lose its heritage. He worked to reacquaint his people to their language and customs. He helped organize Indian Days [and] was a driving force behind the [Wabanaki Museum at Pleasant Point], where he served as curator for a number of years. He served in the Maine Legislature to fight for the rights of Native Americans for 12 years. He has spoken on their behalf most of his adult life and fought to instill a sense of pride in what it means to be a Native American,” he said.

The tribal historian served in the Navy during World War II. Though he never attended college, he was awarded honorary degrees from the University of Maine at Machias in 1989 and St. Joseph’s College in Standish in 1993.

Nicholas began his speech in his native language, then asked the students if they had any questions. That drew a chuckle from the crowd.

His point was to show the Calais students what life was like for a young Passamaquoddy growing up in a culture where English was a second language. He said it was that difficulty that forced him to leave high school. “I was kind of laughed at for the things I was saying, not what I was thinking. So I left. I was a dropout,” he said.

After he was discharged from the Navy, he returned to high school and obtained his diploma.

Nicholas said his goal has been to instill a sense of cultural pride and belief among Passamaquoddy youth. That was why he began the Wabanaki Museum, which chronicles the history of his tribe.

Nicholas, 75, drew a gasp from the students when he said he was discharged from the Navy in 1946.

“Integrity, honesty, hard work and compassion are the hallmarks of a person’s life,” he said, adding that a benchmark of his own life is his awareness that he has contributed to his community.