Photography Contest Winners and Avenue of Flags Kickoff
CNO honored this year’s Photography Contest winners and kicked off the 2026 Avenue of Flags program ahead of Memorial Day.
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Contest
Essay Contest Winners Share Their Stories, 2026
The Optimist International Essay Contest provides young people an opportunity to express their perspectives through writing. This year’s theme, “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me,” inspired students to share personal stories about service and community. The top three winners read their essays at our meeting, showcasing both their writing talent and their thoughtful reflections on the role of service in everyday life.
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Avenue of Flags Celebrates 20 Years and Photography Contest Winners
The Avenue of Flags is in its 20th year and raised more than $140,000 last year to support community programs. We also recognized outstanding young photographers in this year’s Photography Contest.
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Celebrating Young Artists and Centerville’s Growth
The Visual Arts Contest winners were recognized for their creativity in artwork based on the theme “Bringing Out the Best.” Their pieces were displayed, and they had the opportunity to introduce their families. Centerville City Manager Wayne Davis also provided updates on major city projects, including Stubbs Park renovations, new business developments, and infrastructure improvements. Read more to see the winning artwork and the latest on Centerville’s growth.
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2025 Essay Contest Winners Share Their Stories
The Optimist International Essay Contest provides young people an opportunity to express their perspectives through writing. This year’s theme, “How Optimism Has Paved My Road to Success,” inspired students to share personal stories of perseverance and growth. The top three winners read their essays at our meeting, showcasing their talent and optimism in action.
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Margaret Barclay Memorial Oratorical Contest 2025 Week Two
The second round of the Margaret Barclay Memorial Optimist Oratorical Contest featured four young speakers sharing personal stories on “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times.” Speaker B, a Senior at CHS, won the contest and will advance to the next round. Thank you to our judges, committee members, and Mr. Roy Barclay for supporting this meaningful event.
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Margaret Barclay Memorial Oratorical Contest 2025 Week One
The first round of the Margaret Barclay Memorial Optimist Oratorical Contest featured two young speakers sharing personal stories on “How Optimism Has Guided Me Through Trying Times.” Speaker B, a Magsig student, won the contest and will advance to the next round. Thank you to our judges, committee members, and Mr. Roy Barclay for supporting this meaningful event.
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Visual Arts Contest Winners and Meet the Members Day
The winners of the Visual Arts contest were at today’s meeting along with their artwork. After this, we heard from long time CNO members Jeff Busch and Tim Clemmer. Then we heard great information about Optimist 2.0 from Greg Fay.
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Photography Contest Winners 2024
The winners of the 2024 Photography Contest were introduced by Roberta Taylor.
Additionally, we heard from people nominated to the Board of Directors for the Optimist year starting October 1, 2024.
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2024 Essay Contest Winners Read Their Essays
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. The 2024 theme is “Optimism: How it Connects Us.” The top two essays were read by their student authors. Thank you to Kristen Marks, who is the chair of the CNO Essay Contest.
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