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Students compete to raise money for charities
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Barb Kliner, a representative from the Kiwanis Club, and Pam Rydell, from Home Savings and Loans, passed out thirty $5 gift cards to randomly selected students who participated in the essay contest.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Representatives from the different charities that were representated in the winning essays attended the assembly to collect the $50 check the student earned for the charity.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Mariel Sallee spoke to students guests at Austintown Elementary School about theSsixth Grade Essay Contest that sixth-grade students at Austintown participated in.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Austintown Middle School students received trophies and awards during the Reflections Ceremony on March 8 at AMS.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Austintown Middle School hosted its first Kiwanis Club Essay Contest assembly on March 16.
Sixth-grade students at Austintown Middle School were asked the question, “If you had $50 to give to the local charity of your choice, which one would you choose to donate to and why?” The students wrote an essay in response to that question about a charity that they wanted to donate money to.
There were 218 essays submitted, which is more than half of the students in the sixth grade, who wanted to earn $50 for their local charity. The contest was sponsored by the Ausintown Kiwanis Club, the Associated School Employees Credit Union (ASECU) and Home Savings and Loan.
Six students were selected as winners by a panel of several judges, including members of the Fitch Key Club and the Kiwanis committee. The six students were honored during the assembly and they all had the opportunity to read their essays to several guests who attended the assembly.
“Out of the 218 essays, 37 different organizations are included,” said Mariel Sallee, the Austintown Kiwanis President.
Members from each of the charities represented in the winning essays attended the assembly. After each student read their winning essay, the charity representative met the student at the podium and were awarded a $50 check for their charity.
The charities included in the winning essays were Wounded Warriors, Joanie Abdu Breast Center, Open Arms Community Outreach, Relay for Life, American Diabetes Associations and the Alzheimer’s Association.
After the winning essays and charities were acknowledged, there was a random drawing of 30 students who entered the essay contest. The 30 students chosen won a $5 gift card.
“We hope to make it an annual event,” said Sallee.