Nicholas Donaldson
To celebrate the Riverside Foundation for Health Care’s 20th anniversary in 2017, a poster contest was issued to local classrooms earlier this spring.
Now a book has been created using the winning posters, and other notable entries, to be displayed at the four health-care facilities in the district.
The goal of the contest was to get the youths involved and thinking about health care in the community.
Students from participating Grades 1-6 classes were given information about Riverside and what it does for the community.
The students then were asked to draw a vision of what they thought a “happy hospital and healthy community” would look like.
“We thought a poster contest was the perfect opportunity to start a conversation with youth about the meaning of quality health care, and the importance of giving back and getting involved in your community,” the introductory page of the book reads.
Seven different classes from Crossroads, St. Michael’s, J.W. Walker, St. Francis, and Riverview participated and were grouped into three categories based on grade level.
The entries were judged on creativity, colours, and relevance to the theme by judges Lindsay Joy Hamilton (art therapist), Owen Johnston (FFHS art teacher), and Rudy Zeitlhofer.
The judges named a first-place winner and three runner’s-up in each category, with one of the winners also named as the overall one.
That distinction went to Aiden McTavish, a student in Mrs. Bodnar’s Grade 2 class at Crossroads.
The other two first-place winners were Lynden Peters (Grades 3-4) and Piper Lidkea (Grades 5-6).
The runner’s-up were:
•Ava Brown, Maeve Hammond, and Emily Jerry (Grades 1-2);
•Noah Barker, Matthew Strain, and Christopher Wood (Grades 3-4); and
•Madison Bliss, Shae Sinclair, and Mikka Slack (Grades 5-6).
In addition to the $50 prize earned by each first-place winner, McTavish also received a pizza party for his class.
That pizza party was an opportunity for McTavish’s classmates to view the book that has been created from the contest entries.
Copies were printed to be put on display in each of the four Riverside facilities: La Verendrye General Hospital, the health centres in Emo and Rainy River, and Rainycrest Long-Term Care.
As well, one book is being kept by the Riverside Foundation.
An electronic copy was sent to each of the schools to use as they please.
