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OTHER PROGRAMS
RESPECT FOR LAW
At our program
meeting we support and honor the Grand Prairie Police Department during the
month of May because May is National Law Enforcement Month. We coordinate
with the Chief of Police and present the "Officer of the Year"
with a plaque designating this honor to a distinguished officer of his
choice.
HOBY - (Hugh O'Brian Youth)
In 1958, the movie and television actor Hugh O'Brian, best
known for his portrayal of Wyatt Earp, returned from a trip to Africa where
he visited Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Motivated by his words, "the most
important thing in education is to teach young poeple
how to think for themselves", established the
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY).
From 1958 to 1967, leadership seminars took place in
California for high school sophomores in Los Angeles. In 1968, the scope of
HOBY grew to include national and international participants. Seminar
locations expanded to major cities across the United States. In an effort
to include more students, three day seminars were instituted in 1977 and
today also take place in Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and Jamaica. Visit HOBY for more information.
Each school is sent a letter early in the Fall asking them to
select the most outstanding sophomore student and register that person for
the leadership seminar. The student is able to attend the weekend seminar
the end of May. This seminar exposing the student to all levels of
leadership in their local areas. Business professionals come together to
provide the students with information on preparing for the future and
challenges each one to do their very best in school and in life. This is
not an Optimist program, but we support it because we seek to "Bring
out the best in Kids".
ESSAY CONTEST
This contest is for
students under the age of 18 as of December 31 of the current school year
who have not graduated from high school or the equivalent. The topic is: “How my Positive Outlook
Benefits my Community”. To enter, interested
students must contact their local Optimist Club, contact
us, and submit an essay on the pre-assigned topic. All Club-level contests are held by early
February and student submissions will not be accepted after the Club-level
contests have closed. The deadline
for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is February
28, 2012. The deadline for Districts
to submit their winner’s information to Optimist International is April 15,
2012.
The Essay Contest is
sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to
write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. In addition to developing skills for
written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college
scholarship. Club winners advance to
the District-level to compete for a $2,500 college scholarship. District winners are entered into the
International Essay Contest and the winner will receive an engraved plaque
and recognition in The Optimist
magazine. For an application and
contest rules, please click on this link http://www.optimist.org/Form/Essay_RULES_PAD-E_11-12.pdf.
ORATORICAL CONTEST
This contest is open
to students under the age of 18 as of December 31 of the current school
year who have not graduated from high school or the equivalent and who are
educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. The topic is: “How my Optimism Helps
me Overcome Obstacles”. To enter, interested
students submit a speech on the pre-assigned topic to their local Optimist
Club. For contact persons please
click, contact us. The deadline for students to enter is
determined by the sponsoring Optimist Club.
All Club-level contests are typically held by late March. The District deadline to submit winners
to Optimist International is June 15, 2012.
Optimist International does not set Club/Zone/Regional deadlines.
The Optimist
Oratorical Contest gives youngsters the chance to speak to the world. More than $150,000 in college
scholarships funded by the Optimist International Foundations is awarded
annually from this program.
The winners at the
Club level receive medallions and Zone winners receive a plaque. Districts have the opportunity to provide
two $2,500 scholarships or a first place scholarship of $2,500, a second
place scholarship of $1,500 and a third place scholarship of $1,000. For an application and contest rules,
please click on this link, http://www.optimist.org/Form/Oratorical_RULES_PAD-E_11-12.pdf.
YOUNG TEXAN/TEXANNE PROGRAM
Gives
recognition to young people who are maintaining a high level of scholastic
performance, who are involved in extracurricular activities, who
participate in civic and church activities and who are involved in their
community.
The program is
for students in the eleventh grade who submit a RESUME to the local
Optimist Clubs describing the six areas of the students
life (Scholastic, Extracurricular, Community Service and Religious
Activities, Employment, Hobbies and Talents, Overall Future Plans). The Clubs submit the RESUMES to the
District where they are judged by several panels of judges and the monthly
winners are declared. At the end of
the year monthly winner’s RESUMES are again judged to select the Young
Texan and Texanne of the Year.
Besides the
Young Texan and Texanne winner, there are: two second place, two third place, six
runner-ups and 12 finalists recognized with scholarships. Scholarship amounts are determined by the
board based on the amount of money available. A banquet is held for the winners, their
parents, club members and others where scholarships and plaques are
presented to all 24 Young Texans and Texannes for
the year. Print RESUME form and
instructions: Young Texan/Texanne
RESUME
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