COVINGTON – Emma Elson, a freshman at Covington High School, recently won the Covington Noon Optimist Club’s high school oratorical contest based on the national prompt “Just iMagine a World Without Boundaries.” Freshman Allison Gostomsky earned second place, and sophomore Emily Schaffer earned third place in the same contest. In the junior high division, seventh grader Elyza Long was the first place honoree.

Elson was awarded a medal for the honor. In addition, Elson, along with Long and Gostomsky, will be sent to the District level in Lima at the University of Northwestern Ohio in April, with the chance to win a scholarship, and then possibly on to the Optimist International Regional/World Championship for a chance to win an additional $5,000 or up to another $15,000 scholarship.

“Emma did a wonderful job presenting her speech about the questions posed to her,” Club Oratorical Chair Bridgit Kerber said. “The members of our Optimist Club have no doubt that all of the students involved have bright futures ahead of them.”

The Covington Noon Optimist Club has historically participated in the Optimist Oratorical Contest, but this is the first time they have held a contest in several years thanks to renewed interest. The club has been active in the Covington community since 1985.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. The Optimist Oratorical Contest is one of the organization’s most popular programs, with more than 2,000 clubs participating annually. Carrying the motto “Bringing Out the Best in Youth, in our Communities, and in Ourselves,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please call (314) 371-6000 or visit the organization’s website at www.optimist.org.