Monday, May 12, 2008
Art contest opens to firewise youth
By Joseph Robertia | Peninsula Clarion
An ongoing poster contest may be a perfect way to light a fire under the bum of artistic children, while simultaneously teaching them ways to prevent a fire from destroying remote residencies.
"We're starting a new education campaign on the Kenai Peninsula, so we want kids to create art we may be able to use for that campaign," said Judy Reese, a FireWise field team leader.
Kenai Peninsula school children, from kindergarten through fifth grade, are encouraged to break out the colored pencils, paints and markers this month, and take part in a poster contest with the theme, "Fires in the Forest and Houses in the Forest: What Can We Do," sponsored by the Alaska Division of Forestry and the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
"It's all relative to preventing homes in forested areas from burning, so we want to see children's depictions of what can be done to protect homes built in the forest. We want to see what they think," Reese said.
The grand prize winner of the contest will receive an iPod Shuffle, and their art work will be prominently displayed somewhere locally, although an exact location has not yet been determined, according to Reese.
"We'd like to do a tile mural of the winning artwork, possibly at the Kasilof Fire Station," she said.
Winners in each of three age categories will also be publicly recognized for their efforts. Their artwork will be used in a variety of settings, including posters, educational materials and place mats in restaurants across the peninsula. In regard to this latter setting, Reese said restaurant patrons perusing fire-safety materials while waiting for their orders would serve "as a great way to get the message to locals and tourists alike."
Winners of the contest will also be recognized for their contribution to fire safety by being allowed to ride in fire engines during Fourth of July festivities closest to their hometown, whether that be Kenai, Homer or Seward.
The contest deadline is May 16 with winners announced May 23. Artwork can be between 8.5-by-11 inches and 16-by-22 inches and should be on stiff, plain white paper or posterboard. All artwork should be identified in the upper left corner with the artist's first and last name, age and grade level, school or student's address and phone number.
Age divisions are kindergarten and first grade (Little Spotters), second and third grade (Little Jumpers), and fourth and fifth grade (Jr. Hot Shots) .
Submissions can be sent to the Alaska Division of Forestry, 42499 Sterling Highway, Soldotna, Alaska, 99669. For more information, contact the Kenai Peninsula FireWise Team at (907) 260-4262 or visit www.firewisekp.com and click on the poster contest link.
Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.