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Education > 2012 Poster
and Video Contests
2012 Poster and Video Contests:
Florida’s Severe Weather Awareness Campaign
Encourages Students to Get Creative
Living in the Sunshine State offers a wide variety of enjoyable pastimes such
as walking along sandy white beaches, hiking through densely-treed state parks,
or riding roller coasters in amusements parks. But it also means dealing with
potential disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. Because of these threats,
the Florida Division of Emergency Management conducts campaigns year round to
promote preparedness for potential natural hazards through efforts such as
Severe Weather Awareness Week (SWAW), which the Division sponsors in partnership
with the American Red Cross.
One event of this year’s SWAW campaign is the poster and video contests,
which challenges students to design an 11 x 14 poster or a 30-second Public
Service Announcement video to help increase statewide awareness of the
importance of disaster preparedness. Whether students attend public schools,
private schools or are home-schooled, all are encouraged to enter.
“As a parent, I am fully aware of how important it is to include children in on
disaster planning,” said Director Bryan W. Koon. “By offering events such as the
poster and video contests, we help Florida’s children better understand
disasters, as well as how to prepare for them.”
This year’s poster contest, which is geared towards 4th and 5th graders, will
use severe weather preparedness as the subject. The winning poster will be
professionally printed and displayed in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC)
for the entire year. The video contest, for middle and high school students,
will focus on boating safety, rip currents and temperature extremes. Winning
videos will be professionally reproduced for the Division’s awareness promotion
in the statewide public awareness campaign. A video production team will come to
the winners’ hometown to professionally produce the winning PSA, and the winners
will be the project director for their respective spots. Students are urged to
conduct research for pertinent information regarding these topics. The deadline
for the 2012 poster and video contests is January 9, 2012. Winners will be
announced January 29 at a kick-off event for Severe Weather Awareness Week in
Central Florida.
More than 800 students throughout the state entered the 2011 competition, making
it the biggest year in the annual event’s history. “We hope to further increase
the number of students who participate in the 2012 contest,” said Karen Hagan,
Florida Disaster Officer for the American Red Cross. “With greater involvement
in initiatives such as this campaign, the more widespread our outreach efforts
will be to get Floridians prepared for potential disasters.”
Last year’s poster contest was won by Miranda Shellenbarger, a 5th grader at
East Side Elementary School in Brooksville. Her winning poster is currently
displayed in the main lobby of the SEOC and is posted on the Division’s Kids Get
A Plan website. Posters for the second and third place winners are also posted.
“A 2001 study of resilience in children by Edith Grotberg indicates that
awareness and engagement in problem-solving are effective means of developing
resilience in children,” said Gwen Keenan, the Division’s Preparedness Bureau
Chief and mother of four. “Our goal in this campaign is to encourage students
and their families to be alert and better prepared for Florida’s potential
disasters through a fun and creative method that encourages children to learn
without alarming them.”
For more information on the Severe Weather Awareness Week campaign, the
contests, and the Division of Emergency Management, visit FloridaDisaster.org.
You can also follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FLSERT and on Facebook, at
www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT. |
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