Late last week, Aubreanna Nunez, a student at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Superior, was named as one of the finalists in the 2015 Pinal County Anti-Drug Poster Contest.
On Thursday, in front of a packed house, Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles revealed the winners of the 2015 Anti-Drug Contest.
Cindy Furukawa of Eduprize was the grand prize winner. Her poster will be displayed throughout various businesses, schools and law enforcement agencies across the county.
Paulina Loza of Ellsworth Elementary School was the bookmark winner and Alexia Acevedo of Superstition Mountain Elementary School was the t-shirt winner.
Aubreanna and five others were named as finalists: Jesus Santiago, Dylan Carothers and Quentin Apolinar, all from Red Rock Elementary School; and Heidy Palomino and Steffanie Flores, all from Mountain Vista Middle School in San Tan Valley.
Former Dallas Cowboys player, Darryl Clack, was the event’s guest speaker. He shared his life stories, including the time he tried drugs and the choice he made as to why he was never doing drugs again. He spoke to the kids about the struggles they will face throughout life when it comes to peer pressure and why it’s important to choose your friends wisely.
Voyles agrees. “Kids are the foundation of our community. We must teach them the difference between right and wrong at an early age. I want to thank the parents and teachers for educating their kids on the importance of their choices. We are all in this fight against drugs together.”
More than 900 students across Pinal County participated in this year’s event. The posters were narrowed down to 60 and then the top nine by a selection committee. All 60 winners were invited to the ceremony and all were recognized for their wonderful art work.
The Pinal County Attorney’s Office would like to thank the chiefs from Florence, Coolidge, Apache Junction and Maricopa police departments for attending. Also, a thank you to the Florence Boy Scout Group 904 for the posting of the colors, the owners of the Windmill Winery, the Fudge Shop and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Troop for helping with parking.