By David K. Williams
At their February meeting the Menomonie Optimist Club named Kinleigh Richartz of Menomonie High School as Youth of the Month. Optimists have been honoring outstanding high school seniors for over 30 years. Students are selected by their schools for academic, community and extracurricular achievement, as well as character.
Kinleigh Richartz will graduate this spring as one of Menomonie High School’s valedictorians. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the DECA Club, in which she is an officer, Future Business Leaders of America, the Spanish Club, the Global Scholars program, a LINK Crew leader, and the Thirst Project, which is close to being able to fund a new well in Africa. Kinleigh plans to attend Arizona State University in the fall, with a focus on psychology. She ultimately aspires to be a Speech and Language Pathologist.
In addition to honoring Youth of the Month, the Menomonie Optimist Club also provides dictionaries to every third grader in Dunn County, has partnered with the DNR on several projects at Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area, and hosts the annual Menomin Meander, a family-friendly free bike ride around Lake Menomin each August.
