June 08, 2009

Ask Westchester students to use their creative powers to draw or write about the perils of drugs and alcohol and you get an extraordinary heart-felt response of posters and essays.

Winners in this year’s Drug Prevention and Stop-DWI poster and essay contests were honored Monday, June 8 by County Executive Andy Spano at a reception in his office located at 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains.

The grand prize winner is Karina Franke, a 5th grader at Furnace Woods Elementary School in Cortlandt Manor. She will be given a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and her poster will be duplicated and used as the official Drug Prevention and STOP-DWI poster for Westchester County this year. It will be displayed throughout the county and featured online at www.westchestergov.com/stopdwi. It was selected from 250 entries.

Other winning students in the poster contest are from Ossining, Cortlandt Manor, New Rochelle and Pelham.

This year, once again, the Office of Drug Prevention and STOP-DWI in conjunction with the Elks Association also sponsored an essay contest that addressed the same issues of drugs and alcohol. More than 25 middle and high school students participated and the winners were from Peekskill and Yonkers.

“Once again the students who submitted works amaze me,” said Spano. “They are talented and committed to helping to get across the message of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. I thank them all.”

The prizes are savings bonds ranging from $500 for the overall grand prize to $50, depending on the place in the various age categories: high school, middle school and elementary school. All those who entered either contest have been sent certificates of merit.

The posters and essays showed the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. They were judged on their originality, clarity, presentation and message against drugs and DWI.

The Drug Prevention and STOP-DWI Poster and Essay contests are open to all Westchester students, grades K-12 and highlighted the theme of staying safe by refusing drugs and alcohol, and particularly showcasing the repercussions of drunk driving. Seven judges from the Westchester community chose the winning posters from entries throughout the county. The winning entries are also entered in the Elks statewide contest. (Last year, one student from Westchester was a statewide winner: Katie Ferguson from Robert C. Dodson School in Yonkers earned second place in the kindergarten category.)

2009 STOP-DWI Poster Contest Winners

Grand Prize Winner: Karina Franke, Furnace Woods Elementary School, Cortlandt Manor

Elementary School
3-4 Grades
First Prize: Kaitlin P. McNamara, Daniel Webster School, New Rochelle

Midde School
5-6th Grades
First Prize: Koji Mito, Anne M. Dorner Middle School, Ossining
Second Prize: Stephanie Valdez, Anne M. Dorner Middle School, Ossining
Third Prize: Catherine Barra, Furnace Woods Elementary School, Cortlandt Manor

7-8th Grades
First Prize: Mike Schaub, Albert Leonard School, New Rochelle
Second Prize: Jacqueline Gallago, Anne M. Dorner Middle School, Ossining
Third Prize: Taylor Olson, Albert Leonard School, New Rochelle

High School
9-12th Grades
First Prize: Melia Bonomo, Pelham Memorial High School, Pelham
Second Prize: Grace Bodenmann, Pelham Memorial High School, Pelham
Third Prize: Andrew Morejon, New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle

2009 STOP-DWI Essay Contest Winners

Midde School
5-6th Grades
First Prize Robin Artis, St. Peter’s School, Yonkers
Second Prize: Cyasia Crosland, Our Lady of Assumption School, Peekskill

7-8th Grades
First Prize Stephen Miller, Christ the King School, Yonkers
Second Prize: Vivienne Sales, Our Lady of Assumption School, Peekskill