In five of the past six years, students from St. Aloysius on the Ohio Catholic School, in Sayler Park, have earned the highest average score in an annual Accelerated Reader competition.

The contest involves St. Aloysius, Our Lady of Lourdes, Westwood and St. Jude School, Bridgetown.

St. Aloysius has won the competition every year - except in 2001 - since the competition started in 1998.

In the recent month-long contest, St. Aloysius on the Ohio earned an average of 16.7 points, while St. Jude averaged 10.7 and Our Lady of Lourdes averaged 10.0.

The top individual reader was Sarah Weiskittel, a sixth-grader from Our Lady of Lourdes, who amassed 204.1 points based on the books she finished. Sarah was followed by Nicholas DeMeo, a fifth grader from St. Jude School, with 99.3 points, and Donald Kay, a fifth grader from St. Aloysius on the Ohio, with 85.8 points.

The competition involved students in the second through eighth grades.

"Reading is so important to academic success and our students love the competition,'' said Jean Hoferer, St. Aloysius on the Ohio librarian.

Volunteer wins award

Brittany Nelson-Turner, a junior at Seven Hills Upper School, counsels other teens as part of her community service component at the Leadership Development Center at Xavier University.

The Bond Hill resident recently won the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

"I wasn't expecting anything from the volunteer work because I enjoy it, but when I received the letter that I had won the award, I said 'Wow, this is great.' It feels good getting an extra perk for something you enjoy doing,'' Brittany said.

The Leadership Development Center, sponsored by the American Red Cross, gives outstanding youth ages 13 to 18 the opportunity to participate in workshops and activities to help them recognize and develop leadership potential.

As a counselor, Brittany, 16, attends meetings two Saturdays a month starting inOctober and ending with a four-day leadership camp in July.

She teaches classes, guides activities and counsels teenage participants.

She is the daughter of Patricia Nelson and Mark Turner.

On Evanston council

Among the newly elected officers to head the Evanston Community Council is Tom Schick, a faculty member at Xavier University. Schick supervises Xavier students working with the council.

Schick was elected treasurer. He has worked in the Evanston community for the past 15 years.

Others who were elected included Sharon Muyaya, re-elected president; Dolores Brown, a past president, elected as vice president; Denise Freeman, secretary; and Renee Walker, neighborhood support program treasurer.

Scouts help Goodwill

For 52 years, the Scouting For Food and Clothing Drive has pitched in to help the Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries Rehabilitation Center Inc. - and this year is no different.

On March 28, between 1 and 4 p.m., Boy Scouts and American Heritage Girls will be going through neighborhoods collecting donations.

Donors fill a bag with clothing and food and place it near their front door. Collections are made at homes only. The volunteers don't pick up at apartments or condos.

Joe Byrum, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries, said the goal of the drive is also to have volunteers and the community at large learn more about Goodwill.

"Fifty-two years is a long-standing tradition and is also the mark of a successful program,'' Byrum said.

He said community support from the drive helps to make a variety of vocational training and support service programs available to men and women with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

For more information call 771-4800.