The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin": Vol. 2024 #23: 3-6-24
VOLUME 2024 MARCH 6 NUMBER 23
President Bill Wisdom, welcomed everyone and gave us the wonderful morning blessing, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ACHES & PAINS: Keep the families of Oscar Larmer and Tom Claman in your thoughts and prayers. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with them all. Be kind…
PROGRAM: Bill Wisdom handed the program over to Sharon Fincham who introduced the administrators, teachers, student recipients and their families, welcoming all and thanking them all for a job well done! Without all these people here, we could not have this program.
Student recognition began with Sharon Fincham introducing us to Axton B., a 5th grade student at Northview Elementary. Axton was nominated by his teacher, Noel Kellogg who had the following to say: “When I first met Axton in the 2nd grade, reading was a challenge for him, and it made school difficult. Then we found a program that made sense to him, and reading began to get easier. Axton discovered Mr. Shivers’ books and became excited about reading. Axton worked hard, began to read in his free time, recommended books to his friends and saw himself as a reader. He never gave up and never stopped trying.”
“Today, he is a super leader at Northview. Super leaders are selected by their 5th grade teachers because they reflect the values Northview wants their students to demonstrate. He has always been kind, considerate, respectful, and honest. Axton’s journey with reading helped him develop perseverance and confidence. He shares his advice about reading with others who are still struggling. He is a good citizen of Northview and is always willing to help a peer. He is just a remarkable young man.”
His family said he is a kind, sweet, never give up kind of kid. He likes music, video games and sports.
Greg Wurst introduced us to Owen P, a 3rd grade student at Northview Elementary, nominated by teacher Sowmya Sugumaran and this is what she had to say: “I am nominating Owen as the Optimist Youth of the Month as he has an enthusiastic and vibrant personality. He always looks for positives in every situation and finds joy in little things. Owen genuinely cares for people around him and is willing to help them. I asked Owen if there is anything in his life that he is not excited about; he though for a moment and said, “not that I can think of.” Owen’s respectful, kindhearted, and compassionate attitude is inspirational to his peers and teachers. I am SO thankful to be part of Owen’s educational career!”
His family added, Owen has a dog named Shadow, he likes football and soccer. He likes computers and video drawing and works a lot with the Church.
Next, Mark Locke introduced Grace Z, a 4th grade student at Amanda Arnold Elementary. Her nominating teachers, Payton Neufeld & Emma Blackwell had the following to say about their nomination. “Grace is an amazing young lady, and we are so fortunate to have her at our school. She was new to our school this year, but you would never know it! Her smile lights up the room and she always gives the best hugs. You see, I (Mrs. Blackwell) had the pleasure of teaching her older brother, Marco, in 5th grade and remembered Grace only as a baby. I was happily surprised this August when she returned to Amanda Arnold as a fourth-grade student. She instantly knew who I was, and I got one of the best hugs on the planet. Grace has been bringing joy to myself, her teachers, her classmates, and really, the school ever since.
Grace is a great example of a student who exhibits our school’s Six Pillars of Character: Caring, Citizenship, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, and Trustworthiness. She cares for others, she goes out of her way to help her classmates, talk to teachers and adults, and ask them questions and tell them stories. She can easily make your day so much better. She is respectful in all areas and environments at our school. She is a responsible student, taking care of her work, getting it done, and helping with her younger sister when needed. She remembers things she needs to get done very well and is fair to others in the classroom and on the playground and you can trust her to make good choices.
Grace is the kind of girl that makes a huge difference in a classroom and a school. She makes Amanda Arnold better by being her sweet, caring self. We are so glad she and her wonderful family came back to our school!
Her family says Grace is a ball of energy, a real firecracker! She is a sweet and happy girl that loves STEM, helping her mother cook, arts and crafts and Taylor Swift. She has 2 dogs Honor and Athena that they love too!
Mike Fincham finished up the program, introducing Elijah B, a 4th grader at Amanda Arnold. His teacher, Emma Blackwell had this to say: “I am very proud to nominate Elijah for the Optimist Club Youth of the Month for Amanda Arnold Elementary. I have the privilege of being Eli’s Gifted teacher this year and next year. When I met Eli, last year, he sometimes seemed hesitant, shy, and doubtful. This year, I am proud of him for his positivity and growth inside and outside of the classroom.”
It has been such a wonderful experience to watch Eli grow in confidence, leadership, positivity, and helpfulness. I am proud of his achievements; he is just a wonderful young man.
Eli’s family said he is shy, humble, thankful, and hard working. He solved the Rubic Cube in 8 seconds, he showed us a Yo-Yo trick, he’s in Boy Scouts, likes soccer and would like to play on a traveling team. He also likes music, plays the piano and wants to be an Aerospace Engineer or a Pilot when he gets older.
Many congratulations to all these great students. We Optimists wish you well in all you do and are proud of all you have done! Keep up the great work!
CLUB STUFF/ANNOUNCEMENTS and UPCOMING EVENTS:
SAVE THE DATE: Lawn Mower Clinic was held March 5th and there were 19 kids that participated in the clinic. Many thanks to Bruce Bidwell, Jim Franke, Steve Boeckman, Dan Oneill, Mike Fincham and Greg Wurst who put the clinic on.
SAVE THE DATE: Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament: March 15th and 16th (scorekeepers needed)
SAVE THE DATE: Annual Spaghetti Dinner: March 23rd, please sign up to work some shifts.
Silent Auction items can be given to Julie or Lisa Brummett.
SAVE THE DATE: Aggieville Chili Crawl, October 19
GUESTS: Welcome Administrators, Teachers, Students, and families of Northview Elementary and Amanda Arnold Elementary Schools, joining us this morning for the Youth of the Month presentation.
Meeting adjourned with the OPTIMIST CREED.
MARCH PROGRAMS: Program Chairs: Sharon Fincham, Heather Peterson & Mike Fincham
MARCH 13: Student of the Month Presentation
NOON MEETING Program: Margaret Haden, Manager of Alzheimers Association
“Alzheimer’s Warning Signs”
Coordinator: Heather Peterson
MARCH 20: Program: Patrick Fu, Manhattan High School Robotics
MORNING MEETING “Manhattan High School Robotics Club”
Coordinator: Mike Fincham
MARCH 27: Program: Katharine Henfler, Director-Riley County Historical Society
NOON MEETING “Leading Ladies – Influential Women in Riley County History”
Coordinator: Mike Fincham