Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Honors Young Artists for Educating Peers about the Dangers of Underage Drinking

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today recognized 50 students who participated in the 23rd annual Alcohol Education Poster Contest during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda.

"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 will be displayed in the Capitol Rotunda from April 6 through April 10.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the annual Alcohol Education Poster Contest, visit www.lcb.state.pa.us.

2014-15 PLCB BUREAU OF ALCOHOL EDUCATION ALCOHOL AWARENESS POSTER CONTEST WINNERS

Adams County
Cheyenne Griffin, Fourth Grade, Fairfield Elementary School

Allegheny County
Sebastian Immonen, Ninth Grade, North Allegheny Intermediate High School

Beaver County
Mallory Markioni, 10th Grade, Hopewell High School

Berks County
Jennifer Aparicio, Eighth Grade, Tulpehocken Junior High School
Emily Lawrence, Eighth Grade, Tulpehocken Junior High School
Courtney Luckenbill, Seventh Grade, Tulpehocken Junior High School
Megan Eberly, Seventh Grade, Tulpehocken Junior High School
Arai Labas, Sixth Grade, Reiffton School

Butler County
Madilynn DeNomme, Third Grade, Mars Area Elementary School
Evan Peaco, Fourth Grade, Mars Area Elementary School
Shayla Tiskus, Third Grade, Mars Area Elementary School

Cambria County
Faith Blake, 10th Grade, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School
Ava Myers, 10th Grade, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School

Chester County
Ryan Reynolds, First Grade, Homeschool
Kerry Reynolds, Eighth Grade, Homeschool – Previous winner
Kyle Reynolds, 11th Grade, Homeschool – Previous winner
Dominic Michalski, Kindergarten, Homeschool
Elizabeth Michalski, Ninth Grade, Homeschool

Cumberland County
Gianna Heil, Fourth Grade, Immaculata Academy Homeschool – Previous winner
Marie-Laurence Heil, First Grade, Immaculata Academy Homeschool
Marie-Therese Heil, Sixth Grade, Immaculata Academy Homeschool
Shawna Goodyear, Seventh Grade, Mechanicsburg Middle School
Madison Dunham, Fifth Grade, Northside Elementary School
Sophie Blair, Fifth Grade, Elmwood Elementary School
Rachel Matthews, Fourth Grade, Broad Street Elementary School
Isabella Walls, Third Grade, East Pennsboro Elementary School

Dauphin County
Olyvia Harig, Kindergarten, Upper Dauphin Area Elementary School
Jordan Peiffer, Third Grade, Upper Dauphin Area Elementary School – Previous winner
Mackenzie Van Hook, Kindergarten, Upper Dauphin Area Elementary School

Delaware County
Samuel Chism, Second Grade, Westbrook Park Elementary School
Richie Chism, Third Grade, Westbrook Park Elementary School
Nathan Crawford, First Grade, Westbrook Park Elementary School

Indiana County
Taylor Painter, 10th Grade, Indiana County Technology Center
Kyler Renninger, 11th Grade, Indiana County Technology Center

Lackawanna County
Nora Betts, Fifth Grade, The Lutheran Academy
Sarah Bjornstad, Sixth Grade, The Lutheran Academy

Lancaster County
Holly Hallman, Eighth Grade, Centerville Middle School

Luzerne County
Taylor Baranousky, 12th Grade, Crestwood High School
Katie Petroski, 12th Grade, Crestwood High School

Schuylkill County
Jordan Brogan, Fourth Grade, McAdoo-Kelayres Elementary School

Snyder County
Allison Cramer, Second Grade, Middleburg Elementary School
Bella Knepp, Kindergarten, Middleburg Elementary School
Jordan Fisher, Second Grade, Middleburg Elementary School

Washington County
Kelli Lucas, 12th Grade, Trinity High School

Wayne County
Alison Warnock, 11th Grade, Western Wayne High School

York County
Lauren Berger, 11th Grade, Kennard-Dale High School
Sydney Clayton, Seventh Grade, South Eastern Middle School – East
Daysha Brown, Ninth Grade, York County School of Technology
Abigail Tabachini, Sixth Grade, Spring Forge Intermediate School – Previous winner
Julia Atkins, Ninth Grade, York County School of Technology

NOTE: Those marked as "previous winners" were also honored for their artwork in the last five years.

MEDIA CONTACT: Stacy Kriedeman, 717.783.8864

SOURCE Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board