2024 Santa Night
Before Santa stopped by your house, he made sure to visit the Harriet E. Brown Community Center this month for our annual Santa Night. Forty kids visited with Santa, made crafts, played games and won prizes.
Constellation Energy & Optimist Club of Calvert Bike Giveaway
Earlier this month, we teamed up with Constellation to give away brand new bikes and helmets to 100 children. The bikes, assembled earlier this year by Constellation volunteers, were supplied by Free Bikes 4 Kidz Maryland. Seeing the joy, appreciation and smiles from these kids – many receiving their very first bike – is what the holiday season is all about.
The Optimist Club of Calvert would like to thank Constellation for selecting us to help distribute bikes and helmets to over 64 local families and St Paul United Methodist Church for allowing the bike giveaway to take place in your parking lot.
Christmas Parade
The 2024 Home for the Holidays Parade sponsored by the Optimist Club of Calvert and Calvert County Fair Board will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024 (no rain date). The parade will start at 10:00 a.m. on Main Street in Prince Frederick, continue to Duke Street, go through the Prince Frederick Shopping Center, and turn right on Church Street toward the reviewing stand. Following the parade, head to King Park for Calvert County Parks & Recreation Home for the Holidays Celebration.
2024 Project Graduation
The Project Graduation party for Calvert & Northern High School seniors was held on June 6, 2024, at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station Drill Hall. The Club supported the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Inc. sponsored event by providing food and drinks for the grads and their guests.
2024 Youth Fishing Derby
What great weather we had for our Youth Fishing Derby! Our youngest to fish was just two years old and our oldest was 15. The biggest fish caught were a 7.8 lb catfish and a 7.7 lb bass! Many thanks to the Scrivener family, our Optimist club members who helped, as well as Optimist Club of Solomons President Candace Naegele Milcarzyk and MDSD Optimist/District 33 Governor Colleen Teears-Coombs for their support and photographs.
2024 “Rising Stars in CTE” Juniors of the Year Awards
Congratulations to the“Rising Stars in CTE” Junior students of the year! These students are being celebrated for their outstanding achievement in their Career and Technology Academy, Career Technology Education (CTE) program courses this year as well as their other contributions in leadership, community service, and citizenship.
Front row: Cosmetology – Addison Chapman (nominated by Mrs. Eckard), Culinary Arts – Nadia Safran (nominated by Mrs. O’Dell), Home Improvement – Alina Billups (nominated by Mr. Harvey), Academy of Health Professions – Noemi Navarro (nominated by Dr. Cutler), CISCO IT Networking/Cybersecurity – Alyssa Lane (nominated by Ms. Burns), and Welding – Colin Gribble (nominated by Mr. Bradford).
Back row: Automotive – CASE Agriculture – Raleigh Sterling (nominated by Mrs. Graham), Interactive Media Production – Bella DeCesaris (nominated by Mrs. Clements), Graphics – Cory Moyer (nominated by Mrs. Miller), Automotive – Alexander Van Ness Ginn (nominated by Mr. Trigger), Plumbing/HVAC – Lia Donahue (nominated by Mr. Garrison), Electricity – Carson McCarthy (nominated by Mr. Villano) and Fire/EMT – Grant Neal (nominated by Mr. Smith).
Congratulations to the 2024 Essay Contest Winners
Us. Congratulations to Essay Winners: Emma Brezina (Calvert High)
1st place, Carly Herrin (Sunderland Elementary) 2nd place, Kennedy
Perry (Huntingtown High) 3rd place. Pictured are Emma Brezina and
Carly Herrin. Unfortunately, Kennedy Perry was unable to join us
at our March dinner meeting.
who won our 2024 Oratorical Contest.
2023 Optimist Club of Calvert/Calvert Fair Board Christmas Parade
We were pleased to be asked to be part of the Home for the Holidays event this year. And we were excited to work with the Calvert County Fair board to bring the Christmas Parade back to Prince Frederick!
Youth Appreciation Week
As part of the Optimist International (OI) program for youth appreciation, the Optimist Club of Calvert has been recognizing select high school seniors as the “outstanding youth” of the county for the last 54 years. Please join us and the Optimist Club of Solomons in congratulating the Seniors chosen by each Calvert County high school as their Outstanding Youth for 2023.
Not pictured Honorees Sophie Arness, Makayla Doe, Daniel Fuentes and Nhu Nguyen.
Photo credit: Marty Madden/Southern Maryland News. Not pictured: Honorees Brietta Dalzell,
Andrew Lamb, and Catherine Polo.
Robert (Bob) Merkle
It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of friend and club member Robert (Bob) Merkle. Bob was a member of our club for 14 years and was a staple at our Christmas Tree lot for many years. We offer our condolences to the Merkle family.
Congratulations to the 2023 Respect for Law Honorees!
Seven honorees from various Calvert County law enforcement agencies were honored for their dedication to their professions and the community at the 54th Annual Respect for Law Awards Banquet on July 24, 2023, hosted by the Calvert-Prince Frederick and Solomons Optimist clubs. This year’s honorees were Corrections Deputy First Class James Strain, Assistant State’s Attorney Allison Walton, Calvert County Sheriff’s Master Deputy Robert W. Burggraff, Maryland State Trooper First Class Kevin Bauer, Animal Control Officer Kaitlin Sewell, Public Safety Dispatcher I Theresa Anderson and Maryland Natural Resources Police Officer First Class Allison Higgs.
Pictured (l-r) Honorees Kevin Bauer, Kaitlin Sewell, James Strain, Allison Walton, and Robert W. Burggraff. Theresa Anderson and Allison Higgs were unable to attend the event.