WHO AMONG US, regardless of age, was not deeply affected by events of Sept. 11, 2001, and, more recently, the sniper attacks? To give high school students an opportunity to develop their points of view regarding these horrendous crimes and to practice expressing them in writing, the Severna Park Optimist Club has chosen as its theme for the organization's annual essay contest, "When Our Freedom Is Threatened."

In addition to honing their thinking and writing skills, competitors, who must be in grades 10 through 12, will vie for college scholarships. There are three levels of competition; the winner at the club or local level will receive a medallion and proceed to the state- or district-level competition in Ocean City from April 25-27. The winner there will receive a $650 college scholarship and progress to the final, or international, level.

Three winners will be chosen at the international level: The third-place winner will receive a $2,000 college scholarship, the second-place a $3,000 scholarship and the first-place a $5,000 scholarship, plus an expense-paid trip with parents to the Optimist International convention in Kansas City, Mo., in July.

Any interested student should submit an essay to his or her school's English department chair or guidance counselor by Jan. 6. Entries must be at least 400 words and no more than 500 words. The title, footnotes and bibliography are not included in the word count.

Contest application and rules: Ione Williams, 410-647-3283 (telephone or fax).

Works by young artists

Artwork by pupils from area elementary schools is on display at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Annapolis Harbour Center until Jan. 12. Titled "Winter Wonderland," the show illustrates the diverse and creative ways in which county art teachers guide pupils to express themselves artistically, says Sue Owens, an art resource director at the county Board of Education and an art teacher at Severna Park Elementary School. The children, using different techniques, focused on different aspects of winter, such as weather, sports and animals, Owens adds.

Preschool's open house

Woods Child Development Center will present an open house from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at the center at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Old Severna Park.

The center's mission, says assistant director Laura Carty, is to create a Christian environment to nurture, care for and educate youngster from all walks of life. It offers preschool and kindergarten classes for children ages 2 to 5. Community registration will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 5. The snow date for the open house is Jan. 15, and the snow date for registration is Feb. 10.

Information: 410-647-9168.

Finale

And now ...

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house,

The computer is silent, no sound from the mouse.

This post-holiday is cold, wet and quiet,

Remind me next week to start a new diet.

For more years than most, I've written at home

Reporting the news from my office computer

The good thing is this: I was not a commuter.

But, on my mind is not the next topic

This looks like a pink slip, if I'm not too myopic.

The deadlines are over, the calls disconnected

But take heart, the editors have not left me rejected.

There'll be features coming, some out of the blue

Until then, faithful readers, my heartfelt adieu.

(That's, that's all folks!)