The Sistersville Elks Lodge No. 333 hosted the Third Annual Students of the Month and Students of the Year Award Dinner on April 23.

The students and their parents and siblings were served generous portions of pork loin dinner, prepared by chief cook Heidi Hubbard.

Past Exalted Ruler and Trustee, Chris Deaton, introduced guests: Elks Chairman of Youth Activities Jim McIntire and his wife Kim; Exalted Ruler Curtis Heintzman and his wife, Tracy; Principal of Tyler Consolidated Middle School Ed Stombock; and Linda Hoover, wife of Superintendent Jeff Hoover, whom Deaton credited for coordinating the Teen of the Month program at TCM/HS.

Deaton then did the honors of awarding the Junior Teenagers of the Month: October, Lauren Kasler and Evan Cline; November, Samantha Jones and Slade Dillon; December, Adriane Rine and Josh Buckner; January, Meggie Warner and Dylan George; February, Kaitlyn Neff and David Powers; March, Crissa Beaver and Greg Miller.

The upper class Teenagers of the Month were in turn announced: October, Brittany McDonnell and Tim Bowen, Jr.; November, Emma Rucker and Geoffry Kasler; December, Leesha Miller and Jeremy Moore; January, Linda Bassett and Dave Allen; February, Ashley McCoy and Ryan Summers; March, Jennifer Wright and Roby Tallent.

The overall winners were the Students of the Year, a boy and girl from the junior and senior levels. The Junior Teenagers of the Year were Kasler and Dillon. The Teenagers of the Year were Miller and Kasler.

These students will have their applications sent to Weirton for the regional competition.

McIntyre commended Deaton for spearheading the resurgence of the Teen of the Month program that had been dormant for a number of years.

The Elks Lodge No. 333 is involved in a variety of events throughout the year: the Hoop Shoot, Soccer Shoot, Veterans events, scholarships, drug awareness programs, essay contests, sponsoring of sports teams, and helping with boy and girl scouts.

The Lodge also contributes to and receives funding from the Elks National Foundation.