LEGION OF CHARACTER RECOGNITION
The Optimist Club International has as one of its core purposes to aid and encourage the development of good character in our youth. In keeping with this part of its mission the Optimist Club of Jasper founded the Legion of Character in 2018 to recognize Pickens County Junior High School students in the 7th and 8th grades who exhibit good citizenship and character traits.
Nominations are made by the teachers for 20 students in each grade that best displayed the following:
*Being courteous and truthful
*Being recognized by peers for a positive outlook and general optimism
- Being helpful to other students and to faculty
*Contributing to good discipline and study habits in their classes
*Encouraging others and congratulating them on their successes
*Working steadily to improve themselves and others
*Having generally done their best while at PCHS
*Being trustworthy by practicing honesty, keeping promises and following through on commitments
*Doing what is right even when it is difficult
*Showing respect by treating others the way that they want to be treated
*Being on the active role of the school as a full time student
*Accepting responsibility for their own actions.
Students are recognized and inducted into the Legion of Character at the end of the school year.
Optimist International Essay Contest
Topic for the 2022-2023 school year is: “Who is an Everyday Hero that Brings out the Optimism in You” Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2022 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. There is no minimum age.
How to Enter: Interested students must contact our local Optimist Club. Email Sue Appleton at suekappleton946@gmail.com to get more information on essay contest rules and more. Deadline will be January 15, 2023.
The Essay Contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In additional to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship!
STAR STUDENT BANQUET AND SCHOLARSHIP
For over 30 years the Optimist Club of Jasper has had the opportunity to sponsor the largest and
most unique local Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Banquet in this statewide
program.
Each year the club recognizes a total of 9 Finalists from Pickens High School and the PHS
STAR Student. The seniors have achieved the highest point scores on the Scholastic Aptitude
Test (SAT) and are in the top ten percent of the senior class. The student with the highest score
is that year’s STAR Student. The STAR Teacher is chosen by each student as the teacher who
has contributed the most to their achievement and success.
The banquet is held usually February/March timeframe. Families, teachers and dignitaries are
invited to honor these students and teachers for their service, dedication and achievements.
OPTIMIST ORATORICAL CONTEST
Topic for the 2022-2023 school year is: “Discovering the Optimism in me”
Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2023 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. There is no minimum age.
How to Enter: Interested students submit a speech on the pre-assigned topic to their local Optimist Club. Contact Dave Slade at daveslade71@gmail.com to get more information on rules, contest dates and more. The contest is usually held in February. The Optimist Oratorical Contest gives youngsters the chance to speak to the world. More than $150,000 in college scholarships funded by the Optimist International Foundations is awarded annually from this program.