Students in the Optimist Club at the Central York High School just celebrated their final club meeting of the 2025-2026 school year. As part of this celebration, five graduating seniors were recognized and honored for their hard work and devotion to the club. Those senior club members are Coen Beamesderfer, Maggie Stine, Deonna Gibbons, Annika Clymer, and Sinclaire Kraut. Annika and Sinclaire were both leaders of the national/international committee for the past two years, and their two large projects during their leadership include making blankets for kids in foster care and making dog toys for the SPCA. Coen led the Ronald McDonald donation drive earlier this year, so he worked closely with advisors Rachel Grove and Tara Goodrich to organize a school-wide donation event, and then he worked closely with York County's chapter president, Connie Sohnleitner, to distribute these donations to the Ronald McDonald House.

In addition to the projects mentioned above, students have completed other projects to end the school year. The school committee put together small candy bags for the bus drivers, van drivers, custodial staff, and cafeteria staff, which were accompanied by a thank you note for everything they do for the students. The school committee also wrote words of encouragement on small slips of paper, which will be placed inside of jars and available for students in the library and guidance office. The purpose of this project is to remind students of their worth, even if they may be having a bad day. The York committee has also been busy spreading joy. They worked diligently to create notes of gratitude for the nurses at York Hospital. 

We are incredibly proud of the hard work that our students have displayed this year, and we are looking forward to another incredible year next year!