News Release

WARSAW — Warsaw Community High School student Caleb Smith recently won the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club’s essay contest based on the theme “How Optimism Connects Us.”

Smith will be awarded a cash prize of $300 for the honor. In addition, the essay will be sent to the district level to be judged along with winners from other Optimist clubs in the district. College scholarships are available for top winners at the district level.

The second-place winner, Bryttin Wagoner of Lincoln Elementary, and third-place winner, Lynk Klinefelter of Wawasee High School, will also receive cash prizes and recognition at the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club on Wednesday, March 27.

The club meets at the Shrine Building at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds with breakfast at 6:45 a.m. and the meeting from 7-8 a.m. Guests are welcomed. 

The Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club has been participating in the Optimist Essay Contest for four years and has been active in the community since 1958. Other programs and service projects that the club is involved in include the Oratorical Contest, which will be held on Sunday, March 24. The application and details for that contest can be found here.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with 80,000 adult and youth members in 2,500 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and throughout the world. The club carries the mission statement: “By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in youth, our communities and ourselves.” Optimists conduct service projects that reach more than 6 million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, visit the organization’s website at optimist.org.