Submitted photos Boardman Optimist Club President Chuck Hillman, left, presents a gift card and certificate to first-place essay winner Katie DePinto. Her essay will advance to the Ohio District Level for a chance to win a $2,500 scholarship.

Staff report

BOARDMAN — The Boardman Optimist Club recently awarded the winners of its annual township-wide essay contest with a presentation at Boardman High School.

Optimist Club President Chuck Hillman presented certificates and Amazon gift cards to Boardman High School freshman Katie DePinto (first place), and sophomores Elijah Land (second place) and Reagan Ridgley (third place). Their Honors English teachers, Dana Safarek and Jenefer Basista, were also present.

The essay topic this year was “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me.” An excerpt from DePinto’s winning essay is below:

“My life is an abundance of bright yellow Post-it notes. It started off with a tiny section of my wall, where nine little reminders made their way. Become the best version of myself. Be happy in sound, body and mind. Make my family proud. The list went on, but each goal represented a desperate wish for me to achieve…The wall of once nine sticky notes had now been flooded with thousands and the vision of my original goals had been concealed from sight. Just as I was at my worst, I was given the opportunity to read for my church during Mass. While nervous at first, this privilege and form of volunteering for my community was the door out of my abyss…”

DePinto sets the stage for how her service led to connection and appreciation for her church community.

The Boardman Optimist Club will celebrate its 36th anniversary this year, having been founded in August 1990. The international organization was formed in 1919, and Boardman’s Optimist Club is one of the nearly 3,000 clubs, with more than 80,000 members worldwide.

DePinto’s first-place essay will advance to the Ohio District Level for a chance to win a $2,500 scholarship.