HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) recognized 50 students who participated in the 23rd annual Alcohol Education Poster Contest during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda this week.
One of those honored was Isabella Walls, a third-grader at East Pennsboro Elementary School in Enola, Cumberland County. Isabella is the daughter of Dawn Roussey of Enola and Calvin Walls of Clearfield.
She is the granddaughter of Linda and Dale Picard of Frenchville and Daniel Roussey of Karthaus, and the great-granddaughter of Ellie and Ron Tussey of Karthaus and Merle Roussey of Frenchville. Isabella’s contest entry has been reproduced as a bookmark.
“Every day, young people see messages that glorify underage and irresponsible drinking. We use the annual Alcohol Education Poster Contest to counter those messages by encouraging students to use their creativity to depict fun, safe alternatives to underage drinking,” said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden.
“We plan to share the winning posters with other children so those positive messages will have a wider reach and make a bigger impact throughout the state.”
In their winning poster designs, students focused on the dangers of alcohol, including the resulting legal and physical issues. Many students chose to focus on healthy alternatives to drinking, including sports and extracurricular activities.
The PLCB will use the designs to create posters, bookmarks and coloring sheets to distribute throughout Pennsylvania. In addition, the grade winners will have their artwork reproduced in a calendar. Students who created the best pieces received cash prizes.
“I am always impressed by the hard work of these creative young people. Regardless of the age of the student or the medium they used, they all conveyed strong messages about the importance of staying away from alcohol until age 21,” said Board Member Joseph “Skip” Brion. “This year’s winners should be proud of their efforts.”
About 850 students from 41 counties across the state participated in this year’s contest, using crayons, ink, colored pencils, paint and computer-generated imagery to create their posters. Their entries were judged on presentation and message.
Since the poster contest began in 1992, more than 30,000 entries have been submitted, and thousands more students have participated through projects in their school classrooms.
“The PLCB has sponsored the poster contest for more than two decades, and one of the reasons we continue it is that it’s a great opportunity to reach young people about the dangers of underage alcohol use. If a parent doesn’t talk to kids about alcohol, one of their peers surely will and the outcome may not be positive,” said Board Member Mike Negra.
“We encourage parents to use this contest to start a conversation. We know that when a parent is proactive, it can and does make a difference when it comes to reducing underage drinking.”
This year’s winning posters were displayed in the Capitol Rotunda from April 6-10.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the annual Alcohol Education Poster Contest, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.