Fourth-grader Anika Logan Wins Noon Kiwanis Essay Contest—And Pays the Kindness Forward

Fergus Falls has a young essayist to celebrate. Hillcrest Academy fourth-grader Anika Logan has been named the 2025 winner of the Noon Kiwanis Essay Contest. Anika joined fellow honorees at St. James Episcopal Church on Lake Alice to read her essay and—true to Kiwanis’ “kids first” spirit—was presented a $100 check to the charity of her choice. Her class at Hillcrest will also received $50 from the club to put toward an end-of-year celebration, proving that generosity can multiply.

The Fergus Falls Noon Kiwanis Club was chartered in 1921, giving it more than 104 years of continuous service to local children and families. Kiwanis members know that words can shape worlds. By asking fourth-graders to put their hopes for Fergus Falls onto paper, the Noon Kiwanis Essay Contest does more than spark good writing—it cultivates empathy, civic imagination, and a habit of giving back. Each winner is empowered to direct a real-world gift to a nonprofit they admire. For elementary students, that moment of handing over a check is often their first taste of philanthropic leadership, and it’s one they never forget.

Anika’s essay stood out for its clear prose, vivid storytelling, and heartfelt vision. Parents, teachers, and community members celebrated the culmination of weeks of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and dreaming at the reception.

Congratulations, Anika! Your words are already making Fergus Falls a better place, and the best chapters are still to come.