The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" #29 4/19/23
VOLUME 2023 APRIL 19 NUMBER 29
President Thad welcomed everyone, and all joined in the Pledge of Allegiance/Flag Salute.
PROGRAM: Oliver Brown Elementary Youth of the Month
Thad Hall turned the program over to Sharon Fincham for our Oliver Brown Elementary Youth of the Month recognition. Sharon introduced Social worker, Johanna King, 4th grade teacher, Miss Navigato and Library Media Specialist, Megan Morgan, they all talked about themselves, their students and just how honored they were to be her today recognizing these students.
Sharon Fincham was up first and introduced us to 5th grader, Yazlin who was here with her mother, Reyna as well as her grandmother who has only been here with them for a few weeks. Yazlin’s teacher, Robin Whitten had the following to say about nominating Yazlin. “Please accept this nomination for Yazlin as student of the month for the Manhattan Optimist Club. Yazlin is one of our ELL students, she has worked all year improving her reading and math skills. During winter and spring break, she took her iPad home and accumulated extra hours working specifically on her math lessons. This earn her lunch with the teacher both times and she had more minutes/hours than any other student in the class.
During school, Yazlin is a kind and generous student. She offers to help clean the lunchroom each day after 5th grade lunch to ease the work on our custodian, Miss Deb. I have several students with special needs that she offers to help with, even when she is struggling with a new concept herself. Yazlin has a positive “can-do” attitude-that quality makes her an ideal mentor for classmates and an easy recognition for me to nominate for the Youth of the Month Award.”
Sharon added, Yazlin likes reading and math, likes to play soccer and ride horses. They have 2 horses and her dad steer wrestles in rodeo’s; she likes to watch him. She plays the accordion as her grandfather taught her. She is very kind, generous and shows empathy to all.
Next up, Bill Wisdom introduced us to 4th grader, Amari, he was here this morning with his mother Megan, father Richard and sister Kia. Amari’s teacher, Miss Navigato gave the following statement about Amari. “I am nominating Amari due to his respectful and kind heart. Amari has been so helpful with students who struggle with following directions. He will stand or sit by the students and show them what they should do or ask them questions. He helps them get in line and find their spot; he takes his own recess/work time to ensure that they are taken care of. Amari is selfless and will ensure that everyone is being respectful to each other and to adults as well. He is a student who I trust to help with substitutes, if I am gone, he helps the sub find supplies, answer questions, an ensure each classmate is using their supplies correctly. He makes sure ESPECIALLY with the iPads that his classmates are using them respectfully. Amari Coleman is a selfless, caring fourth grader who has shown a tremendous amount of care and love in our classroom.”
In talking with his parents, Bill told us that Amari likes to play baseball and in fact, he was names Player of the Game in a recent tournament in Salina. Congratulations! He likes to hang out with his friends, he likes PE and Science and really likes Hip-Hop music too.
Lastly, Larry Fox had the pleasure of introducing us to 4th grader, Alyssa, here today with her mother, Marie, her father, James and her 13-year-old brother James, who is a 7th grader at Eisenhower Middle School. Her father, James is currently serving in the United States Army at Fort Riley as a Warrant Officer. He is in the 1st combat aviation brigade and serves as the unit’s automation server and services OIC. Her mother Marie, who is a Army veteran herself, is currently working as a Medical Support Assistant at Irwin Army Community Hospital and previously served as a para educator at Oliver Brown Elementary School. WE THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!!
Alyssa’s nominating teacher, Megan Morgan wrote this about her, “Alyssa comes to school each day with a kind heart and a positive attitude. In our library makerspace time, Alyssa decided to create a gift for her mother. She created a beautiful blanket, taking the time to plan, measure and cut carefully. When Alyssa discovered a hole in our school therapy dog’s favorite toy, she asked if she could take it home over the weekend to repair it and on Monday when she returned, the toy had been re-stuffed and patched and she even added a heart and a paw print that she’d sewn into the fabric. Week after week, she generously offers her time to help other students with their projects. Her generous and kind spirit makes her very deserving of the Optimist Youth of the Month recognition.”
Larry added, Alyssa’s mother said her favorite subjects in school are Math, Science and Social Studies. Math because she enjoys solving problems; Science because she gets to do a lot of fun and different projects and experiments and Social Studies because sometimes she gets to read about interesting people. She loves to learn and is not afraid to ask questions and share information with friends, she’s always willing to help. She is very helpful around the house and works well with her brother to accomplish household chores. She helps with cooking, particularly breakfasts on Sundays. She oftentimes pretends that she’s working in a restaurant and takes everyone’s orders for breakfast.
Alyssa volunteers with the school’s Green team because she believes that every small thing we do can make a huge difference in our future. She knows if you recycle and prevent trash from getting into animal habitats, you are saving the animals from suffering. She knows that trees and plants need a healthy environment to grow in, so if we stop plastic from covering the ground, the trees and plants will have the opportunity to thrive. She has taken it upon herself to volunteer and assist David Atchison at school with maintaining and watering the plants around school.
We Optimists salute all of you for your positive attitudes, the brightness you bring to your classrooms and wish you nothing but the best in the future! Keep shining bright!
CLUB STUFF/ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Grow Green Match Day is April 21, 2023, see Todd Chyba with any questions
Little Apple Chorus Spring Show – May 6th, 2023 at 3:00 at Forum Hall -KSU Student Union
New Member Dinner – May 11th at 6pm
Bill Snyder Half Marathon will be May 27th – 6:30am – 1:30am sign-up sheets are out
$100 gift card to the member that brings in the most new members by 9/30/2023
GUESTS: Welcome students, families, faculty and staff of Oliver Brown Elementary School!
Meeting adjourned with the OPTIMIST CREED.
ACHES & PAINS: Be Kind, you never know what battles others are facing and keep those less fortunate in your thoughts and prayers.
APRIL PROGRAMS:
PROGRAM CHAIR: Heather Peterson
APRIL 26: Youth of the Month: Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School
(Morning Meeting)
MAY PROGRAMS:
PROGRAM CHAIR: Todd Chyba
MAY 3: Manhattan High School Interpersonal Skills – Award Presentation
(Noon Meeting) 4 IPS Essay Award Winner Presentations