In most communities school will be getting started in a matter of week or even days. Here is a simple project idea that lets you interact with a school and students on a regular basis: honor a student or students every month. Culminate the project with an annual student of the year awards presentation.This is a scalable project. Choose one school or more and let the principal and teachers know your criteria. Enlist their help in identifying potential candidates for the honor.
Choose the winner, give them a token of appreciation and get their picture in the paper as part of the recognition. As the school year comes to a close, invite all the students and their parents to attend a special dinner or picnic in their honor. Your Optimist Club will build lasting relationships with schools, students and parents with this one event. You will also find participants for scholarship contests and youthful hands to help your club carry out projects.
The Optimist Club of Marco Island, Florida uses this approach and in this picture school principal George Abounader is shown with the Marco Island Middle School finalists for the Student of the Year recognition.
