STUDENTS FROM YONKERS AND PELHAM WIN FIRST PLACE PRIZES IN 2009 BICYCLE SAFETY POSTER CONTEST
Other winners are from Mt. Vernon, Chappaqua, Yorktown

Students from Yonkers and Pelham schools nabbed the first place prizes in the 2009 Bicycle Safety Poster Contest, beating out over 350 other submissions. Other winning students are from Mt. Vernon, Chappaqua and Yorktown.

The awards will be presented on Sunday, May 3, 9:30 a.m. at the Westchester County Center,  as part of the opening day festivities of Bicycle Sundays on the Bronx River Parkway.

The poster contest was sponsored by Westchester County Parks and the county’s Department of Public Works, Traffic Safety Section. The students received awards for their posters that best demonstrated an awareness of bicycle safety rules of the road.

The first place winners are from elementary schools in Yonkers and Pelham. The third grade winner is Vania Delacruz of Foxfire School in Yonkers, fourth grade winner is Katherine Espitia also of Foxfire School and the fifth grade winner is Kees Huisman of Prospect Hill School in Pelham. The students’ artwork best exemplified the themes: “Always wear a helmet when riding your bike - it’s the law,” and “This is a good place to ride a bike and be safe – a bicycle path.”  All winning posters will be displayed throughout the county and will be featured on the county’s website
 Poster Winners.

The 2009 Bicycle Safety Poster Contest was open to all Westchester students in third through fifth grades. Judges from the Westchester Bicycle Safety Advocates Committee chose the winning posters from entries submitted from all over the county.  

The posters were judged on their originality and message depicting bicycle safety awareness, as well as their artwork. The award recipients will receive prizes donated by local vendors and certificates of merit.  

The first place winners will receive bicycles with helmets, courtesy of Danny’s Cycles of Scarsdale, Pelham Bicycle Center and Bicycle World of Mount Kisco.  Second place winners will receive scooters, courtesy of Hickory & Tweed of Armonk and Wal-Mart of White Plains; and helmets donated by the Brain Injury Association of NYS and Safe Kids of Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla.  Third place winners will receive family bowling gift certificates donated by White Plains Lanes Bowling Center and helmets donated by the Brain Injury Association and Safe Kids.  Honorable mention winners will receive movie tickets to Clearview Cinemas, bicycle accessories from Danny’s Cycles and bicycle helmets from the Brain Injury Association and Safe Kids.  In addition, all students will take home cinch packs (with jump ropes and balls) from the Westchester County Health Department’s Be Fit program, bike accessories from Danny’s Cycles and sport water bottles from Modell’s Sporting Goods of Greenburgh.

Refreshments at the ceremony are courtesy of City Limits Diner of White Plains, A&P Fresh Market in Eastchester, DeCicco Marketplace in Scarsdale and Target of White Plains. Also, those attending the ceremony will be eligible for a raffle to win a pair of tickets for a New York Yankees game this season.

The winners of this year’s contest are:

First Place  
3^rd grade - Vania Delacruz, Foxfire School, Yonkers

4^th grade - Katherine Espitia, Foxfire School, Yonkers

5^th grade - Kees Huisman, Prospect Hill School, Pelham

Second Place
3^rd grade - Kymani Clark, Graham School, Mt. Vernon

4^th grade - Mayda Pena, Robert C. Dodson School,Yonkers
5^th grade - Polele Dieng, Prospect Hill School, Pelham

Third Place 
3^rd grade - Christiana Silva, Hutchinson School, Pelham

4th grade - Infinite Henry, Robert C. Dodson School, Yonkers

5th grade - Brandon Diaz, Casimir Pulaski School, Yonkers

Honorable Mention  

3^rd grade - Hannah Zanon, Brookside Elementary School, Yorktown

           &    Ashleigh Addarich, School 22, Yonkers

4^th grade - Bontivia Brewton, Graham School, Mt. Vernon

            &   Dalia Weinstein, Westorchard Elementary School, Chappaqua

5^th grade - Selena Ortiz, School 9, Yonkers

           &    Alondra Hernandez, Westchester Hills School 29, Yonkers