Service and Spirit: Watertown Middle School Students Honored in Annual Optimist Essay Contest

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The power of service took center stage at Watertown Middle School (WMS) on Wednesday, April 29, as the Watertown Optimist Club celebrated the winners of its annual Essay Contest.

This year, students were challenged to reflect on the theme: “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me.” The prompt encouraged youth to look beyond themselves and analyze the symbiotic relationship between personal volunteerism and community strength.

The awards were presented in person by Jodi Loehrer, the Watertown Optimist Club contest chair, alongside WMS Assistant Principal Chad Johnson.

Winners Lead with Heart and Pen

Top honors were awarded across the school’s four distinct teams: the Wolves, Vikings, Coyotes, and Jackrabbits. In addition to personal cash prizes, the winning students were given the unique opportunity to direct additional funds to local charities of their choice.

The 2026 WMS Essay Contest winners are:

Wolves Team

1.     Danika Jo Wright

2.     Emery Dunn

3.     Elliot Weber

4.     Kinley Rymerson

Vikings Team

1.     Kynslee Kouf

2.     Zayne Hartwig

3.     Deklynn Gaulrapp

4.     Eli Kolb

Coyote Team

1.     Brooklyn Horning

2.     Scout Henry

3.     Ryker VanZee

4.     Jayden Nerdig

Jackrabbit Team

1.     Emma Haugen

2.     Elaina Brown

3.     Jennika Kettwig

4.     Molly Keller

Impact Beyond the Classroom

The contest serves a dual purpose: honing the writing skills of Watertown’s youth while providing a financial boost to regional non-profits. The charities selected by this year’s winners represent a wide spectrum of community support, including Codington County Cares, Codington County 4-H, Make-A-Wish, Salvation Army, Special Olympics, and Bramble Park Zoo Education.

In a special show of school-wide unity, the WMS student body voted Make-A-Wish as the “Top Charity,” resulting in an additional $100 donation to the organization to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.

A Community Effort

The Watertown Optimist Club expressed its gratitude to the panel of judges who volunteered their time to review submissions, as well as to the WMS teachers and administrators who facilitated the contest.

“Congratulations to this year’s essay winners and the charities they chose to support," the Club shared in a statement. “Thank you to the WMS students for the opportunity to celebrate our youth and give back to the community we all call home.”

The Watertown Optimist Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to “bringing out the best in youth, in ourselves, and in our communities.”