LEWISTON — Lewiston Elks Lodge 371 honored several youths from across the area at a youth recognition event held on April 10 at the Lodge. Twenty-six youngsters and their families attended the event, who were recognized for their participation in the Lodge’s youth activities programs.

The Lodge first recognized children who participated in the Elks Soccer Shoot program, which was held in July of 2009. Lodge Youth Activities Chairman Douglas Stone presented trophies to the following participants in the program: Under 8 Girls Division, Cassidy Stone, first place; Abby Medina, second. Under 8 Boys Division, Dominic Cyr, first; Ben Stone, second; Alex Beaudin, third. In the 8- to 9-year-old Division, Hunter Langlois, first, boys; Carli Stone, first, girls. In the 10- to 11-year-old Division, Claudia Langlois, first, girls; Elijah Medina, first, boys; Alec Morin, second, boys. In the 12- to 13-year-old Boys Division, Taylor Vaillancourt, first.

Next, the Lodge recognized the participants in the Elks Hoop Shoot program, which was held in December 2009. In the Boys 8- to 9-year old group, Heath Woodrum, first. In the 10- to 11-year-old group, Ganaan Mancini, first, boys; Andre Coachman, second, boys; Carli Stone, first, girls. In the 12-13 year old group, Abdisalan Siyat, first, boys; Molly Murray, first, girls; Calli Murray, second, girls.

The Lodge also recognized Abigail Lauze for achieving her Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout cadette can earn. Lauze led the opening ceremonies with the Pledge of Allegiance and was presented a plaque and an American flag by Exalted Ruler Larry Ashworth and Past Exalted Ruler Michael Aube. To earn her Silver Award, Lauze, a 10th-grader, was instrumental in establishing an Earth Day cleanup in Androscoggin County last year. The clean-up project included Girl Scout troops throughout Androscoggin County, including troops in Greene, Turner, Auburn, Lewiston, Mechanic Falls and Poland.

Recognizing the Lodge scholarship finalists in the Elks National Foundation’s Most Valuable Student Scholarship contest was Lodge Scholarship Chairman Wayne Cotterly. The following were recognized for being the top students in the Lewiston-Auburn area: Brandon Waite, Joshua Charest, Nathan Poulin, Samantha Varney, Tomi Chipman and Kimberly Wallingford. Cotterly announced that Nathan Poulin had been selected as the Lodge winner and he received a $900 dollar scholarship from the Maine Elks Association.

Finally, the Lodge recognized the Elementary Student of the Year. This year’s recipient was Kali Simpson, a third-grader at the Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston. The Geiger School chose Simpson for her persistence in maintaining a 4.0 grade point average and for her service to the community and good citizenship. Following the awards, all were treated to a spaghetti dinner.

For more information on the Elks or to become a member, visit www.elks.org, maineelks.org or call the Lewiston Elks Lodge at 784-4801.