11/2/2007
Young artists promote highway safety messages through calendar
BOISE - Elementary school students from throughout Idaho turned their colored crayons, pencils and markers toward helping promote important highway safety messages for the Idaho Transportation Department's 2008 Highway Safety Kids Calendar.
The calendar features the artistic talents of the top 14 winners chosen from entries submitted by K-6 teachers from across the state, according to Margaret Goertz, with ITD's Office of Highway Operations and Safety.
"We asked students to show traffic safety through artwork and a message," Goertz said.
Winning entries came from Coeur d'Alene, Lapwai, Weippe, Kuna, Glenns Ferry, Caldwell, Mountain Home, Dietrich, Filer, Burley, Paris, Pocatello and Idaho Falls.
Each year the calendar is dedicated to people who work to save lives and prevent injuries on roadways. The 2008 calendar is dedicated to Jared Olson, Idaho's first Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor.
"Jared is an important connection between prosecutors, judges, law enforcement and our office in the fight against traffic safety violations," Goertz said.
Artists ranged from kindergarten through sixth grade. Safe driving themes were divided among grade levels: grades K-2, "seat belts, child safety seats, bicycle or pedestrian safety;" grades 3-4, "aggressive driving or bicycle safety;" and grades 5-6, "impaired (drugs and alcohol) driving for adults and teens."
The calendar is produced in a monthly format. For each month, the winning student's name and photograph are printed on the calendar next to his or her artwork, along with their grade, school name and location. Students will each receive a custom-made calendar frame in which to display their talents. The calendars are distributed to elementary schools and law enforcement agencies throughout Idaho.
Calendars are available to the public in limited supply. For more information, contact Goertz at (208) 334-8104.
Editor's note:
During November, ITD representatives will be traveling throughout Idaho honoring the students whose artwork was selected for the 2008 Highway Safety Kids Calendar.
Following are cities represented, students being honored, and the times and locations of the award ceremonies:
Lapwai, Kiara Garcia (Grade 2), Nov. 5 at 8:30 a.m. at Lapwai Elementary School
Lapwai, Kalela Reuben (Kindergarten), Nov. 5 at 8:30 a.m. at Lapwai Elementary School
Weippe, Rikki Spencer (Grade 3), Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. at Timberline School
Coeur d'Alene, Brooke Erickson (Grade 5), Nov. 7 at 12:30 p.m. at Woodland Middle School (student entry originally from Ramsey Elementary School)
Burley, Brooklyn Oman (Kindergarten), Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at Mountain View Elementary
Dietrich, Ryann Perron (Grade 3), Nov. 9 at 2:15 p.m. at Dietrich School
Glenns Ferry, Alfredo Garcia (Grade 2), Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. at Glenns Ferry Elementary School
Filer, Carlos Castro (Grade 4), Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. at Filer Elementary School
Idaho Falls, Adrian Garcia (Grade 3), Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. at Hillview School
Pocatello, Gennavie Judd (Grade 6), Nov. 13 at 2:50 p.m. at Pocatello Community Charter School
Paris, Jesse Beck (Grade 2), Nov. 14 at 9:30 a.m. at Paris Elementary School
Mountain Home, Caleb DeGroot (Grade 3), Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. at North Elementary School (student entry originally from West Elementary School)
Kuna, Hailee Christensen (Grade 5), Nov. 27 at 9 a.m. at Falcon Ridge Public Charter School
Caldwell, Madelyn Cook (Grade 1), TBA at 1 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Charter School