Optimist Essay Contest - years previous to 2020:
2019 Contest:
 Left to right: - Teacher Adina Dodds; Justin Koopman (Honorable Mention); JaQuayo Craver (Honorable Mention); Gavin Tipton (Second Place); Bayleigh Tipton (Honorable Mention); Matthew Quesnell (Honorable Mention); Adam Shinlever (Honorable Mention; Autumn Messer (First Place); not pictured - Jeremiah Carter (Second Place).
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class recently completed entries in the Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic of this year’s contest was “When All the World's Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 19 to recognize the finalists.
• The first place award went to Autumn Messer, second place to Gavin Tipton, and third place to Jeremiah Carter (who was unable to attend the ceremony). They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, an Optimist stylus pen, and a souvenir Optimist mug. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Justin Koopman, JaQuayo Craver, Bayleigh Tipton, Matthew Quesnell, and Adam Shinlever. Autumn's winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. A certificate of thanks and gift cards were also given to Ms. Dodds for her efforts in directing the contest and inspiring the students to create their excellent essays. • School Principal Craig Ewing, and Guidance Counselor Trish Engle also stopped in at the meeting. |
The members of the Northridge Optimist Club pass along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Northridge High School and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Tina Rezash Rogal, Kristen Tomlinson, and David Williamson) for their significant efforts, and especially to Adina Dodds who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated. |
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SPECIAL THANKS!
The past seven Northridge Optimist Club sponsored essay contests have been held for students in the ninth grade Honors English class. For next year, the 2020 contest is planned for the eleventh grade English class, and another teacher will take over. At this awards meeting, the club gave special thanks to teacher Adina Dodds, not only for this year, but for the previous six years of directing the contest for her ninth graders. We couldn't have done it without her. |
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2018 Contest:
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class recently completed entries in the Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic of this year’s contest was “Can Society Function without Respect?”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 13 to recognize the finalists. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Dodds, who presented them with their awards.
• The first place award went to Abigail Hacker, second place to Jaedyn Madison, and third place to Olivia Slomski. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, an Optimist stylus pen, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Kaylea Landis, Ian Petroski, and Allison Rettig. (Allison was not present at the award ceremony. They also received a contest pin and a stylus pen and a gift card. Abigail's winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. A certificate of thanks and gift cards were also given to Ms. Dodds for her efforts in directing the contest and inspiring the students to create their excellent essays.
• In addition to the students, teacher, and Optimist members, Northridge Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson, School Principal Craig Ewing, Guidance Counselor Trish Engle, Curriculum Coordinator Laura Inkrott, and District Testing Coordinator Kim Harnett were also in attendance representing Northridge Schools. (Laura and Kim are also club members). Also, Terri Hacker, mother of 1st Place Abigail, and Brandon Madison, father of 2nd Place Jaedyn, were on hand to see their students receive their awards.
• The first place award went to Abigail Hacker, second place to Jaedyn Madison, and third place to Olivia Slomski. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, an Optimist stylus pen, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Kaylea Landis, Ian Petroski, and Allison Rettig. (Allison was not present at the award ceremony. They also received a contest pin and a stylus pen and a gift card. Abigail's winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. A certificate of thanks and gift cards were also given to Ms. Dodds for her efforts in directing the contest and inspiring the students to create their excellent essays.
• In addition to the students, teacher, and Optimist members, Northridge Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson, School Principal Craig Ewing, Guidance Counselor Trish Engle, Curriculum Coordinator Laura Inkrott, and District Testing Coordinator Kim Harnett were also in attendance representing Northridge Schools. (Laura and Kim are also club members). Also, Terri Hacker, mother of 1st Place Abigail, and Brandon Madison, father of 2nd Place Jaedyn, were on hand to see their students receive their awards.
2017 Contest:
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class recently completed entries in the Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic of this year’s contest was “Chasing Optimism in the Face of Challenges”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 11 to recognize the finalists. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Dodds, who presented them with their awards. The first place award went to Elizabeth Shinlever, second to Layla Siler, and third to Mariah Leonard. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, an Optimist stylus pen, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Jaelyn Freed, Justin McKay, Erica Swartz, Krista Parton, Katie Bergman, and Michael Baker. They also received a contest pin and a stylus pen and a gift card. Elizabeth's winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. A certificate of thanks and gift cards were also given to Ms. Dodds for her efforts in directing the contest and inspiring the students to create their excellent essays. In addition to the students, teacher, and Optimist members, Northridge Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson and Northridge Schools Counselor Trish Engle were also in attendance.
2016 Contest:
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class recently completed entries in the Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic of this year’s contest was “Lead by Example: Reality or Fiction”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 15 to recognize the finalists. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Dodds, who presented them with their awards. The first place award went to Janie Stannard, second to Carlos Mila, and third to Kaitlyn Smith. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, an Optimist stylus pen, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Ashley Allison, Brooke Williams, Mason Hardin, Tyler Barnes, and Zoe Profitt. They also received a contest pin and a stylus pen. Each of the contestants also received a Northridge Optimist travel mug. Janie's winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. A certificate of thanks and gift cards were also given to Ms. Dodds for her efforts in directing the contest and inspiring the students to create their excellent essays. In addition to the students, teacher, and Optimist members, Northridge Schools Counselor Trish Engle was also in attendance.
• The members of the Northridge Optimist Club pass along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Northridge High School and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Tina Rogal, Jennifer Schmidlappj, and Reva Brining) for their significant efforts, and especially to Mrs. Dodds who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated.
• The members of the Northridge Optimist Club pass along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Northridge High School and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Tina Rogal, Jennifer Schmidlappj, and Reva Brining) for their significant efforts, and especially to Mrs. Dodds who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated.
2015 Contest:
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class completed entries in the 2015 Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic was “Optimism Should be a Priority”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 24 to recognize the finalists. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Thurman, who presented them with their awards. The first place award went to Shelby Leivas, second to Dakota Higgins, and third to Antoinette Leonard. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Nyomi Hall (absent from the meeting), Kiara Moton, Jade Bolton, and Nathan Snedigar, along with an Essay Contest pin for each. Shelby’s winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. Northridge Optimist President Alan Schmidlapp also presented Ms. Thurman with a certificate of thanks. In addition to the students and teacher, there were eleven Optimist members, plus Northridge Schools Counselor Trish Engle in attendance.
• The members of the Northridge Optimist Club pass along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Northridge High School and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Tina Rogal, Jennifer Schmidlappj, and Reva Brining) for their significant efforts, and especially to Ms. Thurman who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated.
• Students in the Northridge High School ninth grade honors English class completed entries in the 2015 Optimist International Essay Contest, sponsored by Northridge Optimist Club. The topic was “Optimism Should be a Priority”. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, March 24 to recognize the finalists. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Thurman, who presented them with their awards. The first place award went to Shelby Leivas, second to Dakota Higgins, and third to Antoinette Leonard. They each received an Olympic style medallion (gold, silver and bronze), a certificate for their placing, an Essay Contest pin, and a gift card. Certificates were also presented for Honorable Mention for Nyomi Hall (absent from the meeting), Kiara Moton, Jade Bolton, and Nathan Snedigar, along with an Essay Contest pin for each. Shelby’s winning essay will now compete statewide with other winning student essays for a chance at a $2500 scholarship from Optimist International. Northridge Optimist President Alan Schmidlapp also presented Ms. Thurman with a certificate of thanks. In addition to the students and teacher, there were eleven Optimist members, plus Northridge Schools Counselor Trish Engle in attendance.
• The members of the Northridge Optimist Club pass along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Northridge High School and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Tina Rogal, Jennifer Schmidlappj, and Reva Brining) for their significant efforts, and especially to Ms. Thurman who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated.
2014 Essay Contest: The topic of the 2014 contest was "How Dreams Lead to Success". Students in the Northridge High School seventh grade honors English class completed entries in February of 2014. An awards meeting was held during a pizza luncheon at the high school on Tuesday, February 18 to announce the winners. The winners were introduced by their teacher, Adina Thurman, who presented them with their awards. The first place award went to Kaitlyn Smith, second to Mason Hardin, and third to Rhadia Williams, with honorable mention to Kayla Smith, Ziyon Herzog, Brooke Alcorn, and Eric Caldwell. Northridge Optimist President Alan Schmidlapp also presented Ms. Thurman with a certificate of thanks. In addition to the students and teacher, there were nine Optimist members, plus Northridge Schools Superintendent Dave Jackson, and Northridge High School Principal Tim Whitestone in attendance. The Northridge Optimist Club passes along their thanks to all of the students for their fine essays, to Principal Whitestone and staff for hosting the event, to the judges (Dave Williamson, Tina Rogal, and Jennifer Schmidlapp) for their significant efforts, and especially to Ms. Thurman who put in a lot of extra effort on the project. The contest would not be possible without a dedicated teacher to direct the students, and her fine efforts are much appreciated.
