Optimist Club of Erie

Essay Contest Winners Meet Mayor and Chief of Police

The Optimist Club of Erie held their first ever Essay Contest for the youth of the community. This project was created to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The Essay Contest topic was: “If I Were Mayor or Chief of Police…” According to Brad Beck, President of the Club, “The contest was held to develop and promote creative writing skills, to instill a sense of civic pride, and to view how local government works.” Entries were solicited from Erie area Elementary, Middle and Senior High Schools.

The two winning entries are from, Chloe Schmolesky, who wrote “If I were Mayor” and Alex Santilli, “If I were Police Chief.” Each winner received a Certificate of Appreciation, have their essay’s published on the Optimist Web Site, and received a private tour of Town Hall and the Police Department conducted by Erie Mayor Andrew Moore and Police Chief John Hall.

Mayor Moore and Chief Hall helped by selecting the winning essay’s. Mayor Moore said, “What a pleasure it was to read through the wonderful, creative essays submitted. Even though I could only vote for "If I were Police Chief", I read them all and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It was difficult choosing one, simply because there were so many that stood out. I'm am pleased with the writing capability and civic awareness of our youth which is so important for our future leaders to have. Alex Santilli's writing on being Erie's Police Chief captured my interest with his understanding of speeding, not smoking, and being proactive with safety in our schools.

Chief Hall was equally impressed. He said, ” The ability to express one’s thoughts in writing is extremely important. A large part of a Police Chief’s or Mayor’s job is accomplished through written communications. Virtually everything we do needs to be documented in writing. It was a pleasure to read all the essays and encouraging to see the writing skills already being developed by each one of the applicants. I selected the essay “As the Mayor” written by Chloe Schmolesky. Her essay starts out establishing a sense of self confidence, important for a person in a position of leadership. Then she discusses specific projects that she feels would be important to the community such as parks, new elementary schools, and a community center. Yet projects were not the only things of importance. She recognizes some important character traits for a mayor to possess such as creativity, fairness, dedication, open mindedness, respect for others and honesty. Chloe says, “It takes a very special person to be the mayor.”

Throughout the U.S., Canada and abroad, more than 5,000 young golfers participate in the Optimist Junior Golf Program. Boys and girls, ages 10 – 18, compete in local tournaments and the best of these golfers go on to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. Noted as one of the largest and most prestigious junior golf events in the world, the championship is held every July at the PGA National Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Past participants in the Optimist Junior Golf program include Tiger Woods, Nancy Lopez, and Phil Mickelson.

In 2006 we sponsored 4 young people at the Boulder County Optimist Junior Golf Challenge held on Monday June 12 at Indian Peaks Golf Course. Tournament fees were $29.00 each which included green fees, driving range balls & hotdog lunch with soft drink.

James Sites - Chairperson.  303-828-0888 or at jamessites@gmail.com

Official Topic for 2007-2008: "Why Me? Why Not?”

Through the Optimist Oratorical Contest, young people are given the chance to develop their public speaking skills and share their viewpoints with the community. Around since the late 1920’s, the contest provides an excellent opportunity for adults to listen and hear what’s on the minds of today’s kids and teens.

The Oratorical Contest is open to students under the age of 16 as of December 31 of the 2009 – 2010 school year and who are educated in the U.S., Canada or Caribbean. Students must write their own speech and are limited to a 4-5 minute oration. Following Optimist International Oratorical Contest rules, boys and girls compete in separate contests. Scholarships of up to $1,500 are awarded to the top local district winners.

Generally, local club contests are held in March of each year, followed by the Zone and Area contests (semi-finals.) The district finals are generally held in May.

To help inspire young people to have respect for their local law enforcement officials as well as the laws we must all obey, the Optimists Club of Erie sponsors a Respect For Law Poster Contest in conjunction the Erie Police Department during National Peace Officers Week in May.

Purpose: · To involve children in understanding and respecting our laws and to promote good citizenship.

Process: · Encourage elementary school age children to draw a picture of what a law means to them and why it is important.

(Examples; Wearing a seat belt in a car. Stopping at STOP signs. Not littering. Wearing a helmet when ridding a bike. Using a leash to walk a dog. Using a crosswalk. Upper grade children may want to focus on words like; Integrity, Impartiality, Compassion, Excellence, Dedication and Courage.)

· Your entry should include a written paragraph describing the law it represents and why it is important

Methodology:

· The contest is open to all elementary school age children from Kindergarten through 5^th Grade, who reside in Erie.

· A notice/entry form will be sent to Erie Area Elementary Schools for distribution. Any children residing in Erie and attending out of area schools can pick up an entry form at the Erie Police Department.

Rules:

· All children must get their parents permission in writing to participate.

· One entry per child.

· All entries should be created on 8^1/2” X 11” paper.

· Entries must be sent to the Optimist Club of Erie

by the deadline of May 2, 2010.

· Mail Entries to: Optimist Club of Erie P.O. Box 311 Erie, CO 80516 Attn: Respect for the Law Contest

· Please include your name, age, grade, teachers name, school, your home address, phone number, e-mail address.

· Drawings will not be returned.

Prizes:

· The winners drawing will be displayed on the 2008 cover of the Erie Police Department Annual Report.

· The winner will receive a pizza party for their entire class.

· The winner will receive a $50.00 savings bond.

The winners drawing will be placed on the Optimist Club of Erie’s web site.

DOWNLOAD A ENTRY FORM AT THE "LIBRARY" - "FORMS" ICON

Through the Tri-Star Basketball Sports Contests, Optimists could unleash the talents of the next great Jerry West or Bill Bradley!

Girls and Boys ranging in ages from 8 to 13 test their athletic abilities in Basketball. Competitors are tested in three skills in this sport. Passing, Dribbling and Shooting. Winners receive trophies, other prizes and the opportunity to compete in a regional and then a state competition held at the Pepsi Center.

James Sites chairperson 303-828-0888 or jamessites@gmail.com

Optimism is all about helping youth in our communities as we focus on “Bringing Out the Best in Kids” all year round. Optimists, though, have designated the second week in November as a special week to highlight the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of kids and teens.