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Poster contest dives into education
Photo
Hilltop Elementary School student Briana Maurer proudly displays the poster she created for the Mahoning County Juvenile Court Advisory Board’s eighth annual school poster contest. Briana won second place in the third-grade county category.
By christine keeling
Boardman
Winners of the eighth annual Mahoning County Juvenile Court Advisory Board’s stay-in-school poster contest were honored Thursday at The Embassy in Youngstown.
The event was an undersea adventure, with balloons shaped like fish, coral and dolphins. Creative and brightly colored artwork lined a wall and depicted this year’s theme, “Dive Into Education Beneath the Sea.”
Briana Maurer, from Canfield Hilltop Elementary, said it was pretty cool to win. Her poster depicted “books are a real treasure” and took second place in the third-grade county category.
More than 400 posters were submitted by third- and fourth-grade students. The artwork then was divided into city and county schools and displayed at the courthouse during the third week of October. The public chose the winners.
Students who placed first received a $150 savings bond; second, a $100 bond; and third, a $50 bond, all donated by Farmers National Bank.
St. Christine School student Kennedy Kish’s favorite prize was a binder filled with school supplies and gift cards. She placed first in the fourth-grade city category, and her classmate, Elizabeth Vennetti, earned third.
All winners and honorable mentions received a binder and a framed certificate. Many stopped to pose for a picture with Captain McFinn and his Octopus friend.
“The more rewards you have, the more success you have,” said Judge Theresa Dellick of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division.
She said if students have a strong foundation for education, they are less likely to drop out of school. Eighty percent of the kids she sees in her work have delinquent school records, she said.
“In school, you learn social skills,” said Dellick. “Criminals are anti-social.”
Cathy Mowry, principal at Hilltop, said the contest supports education and lets other people see through the eyes of a child. She planned to give Maurer a Cardinal Hero Award and display her poster in the school’s Artwork Hall of Fame.
Many of the posters will be displayed at the juvenile court.