Grandchildren Honored Their Grandparents By Creating a Poster for the 1st Annual Poster Contest
FORT MYERS, FL (September 30, 2009) – Shell Point Retirement Community has awarded prizes in its first annual grandparents day poster contest. Among all of the winners in the contest, several students were recognized from three Fort Myers schools: Summit Christian School, South Fort Myers High, and Evangelical Christian School.
“Grandparents touch the lives of children in a special way, and the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is an important one,” said Lynn Schneider, assistant vice president of communications and marketing at Shell Point. “The entries we received in this contest were delightful. Our committee of resident judges enjoyed viewing all of them, and had a tough time choosing the winners from so many wonderful entries.”
More than 200 children from across the United States entered the Shell Point’s Grandparents Poster Contest by creating a poster that illustrated the special relationship that they have with their grandparents. A majority of the posters came from Lee County, but others arrived from as far away as Houston Texas; Gig Harbor, Washington; Cincinnati and Powell, Ohio; Palm Harbor, Florida; Charleston, West Virginia; and Brentwood, Tennessee.
Entries were judged by Shell Point’s Intergenerational Committee, which is comprised of several residents and staff members of Shell Point for the purpose of encouraging positive interaction between people of all generations.
Summit Christian School
Students at the Summit Christian School were one of the leading groups to enter this contest, with 26 students earning recognition. Principal, Mrs. Susan Taylor, and Art Teacher, Miss Janine Coker, were on hand when Shell Point representatives presented the awards to the winning students.
Tabitha Nave won first place in the ages 11-13 division, Charlotte Bay won second place in the ages 4-6 division, Anthony Muller won second place in the ages 11-13 division, Laura Davis won second place in the ages 14-15 division. Honorable mention awards were given to Talia Wiseman, Sophia Gibbs, Abigail McKay, Danny Cunningham, Molly Rimes, Emma McIntyre, Carolyn Siewert, Jacob Bay, Cecilia Ortiz, and Hannah Crosby. In addition to the winners in the various age divisions, an Award of Excellence was given to Sarah Belof, Daniel Ibarra, Jessica Barbour, Sage Holaway, Virginia Bay, Madison Franz, Allison Poole, Gabrielle Miltner, Rachel Nave, Connor Hill, Savannah Ortega, and Chance Kirchner.
“Grandparents are a precious support for our children as they receive Christian education. Our children’s’ posters reflected their love for their grandparents,” said Susan Taylor, Principal at Summit Christian School. “We were glad for the opportunity that Shell Point gave us to participate and we were pleased to see so many children respond.”
South Fort Myers High School
Ciera Tavares from South Fort Myers High School won first place in the ages 16 to 18 division. Her Art Teacher, Angela Brant, was not surprised. “Ciera is a wonderful artist and every time I present an opportunity like this to my class, her hand always goes up.” Ciera’s poster was an intricate drawing of a cozy front porch scene that depicted the warmth of a grandmother’s love.
Evangelical Christian School
McKenzie Graham from Evangelical Christian School received an honorable mention in the 16-18 year old category for her chalk pastel drawing.
Shell Point also received entries from children who are not in school yet. Kinley Gomez won first place in the 4-6 year old category for her depiction of the activities she enjoys with her grandparents. “The Shell Point poster contest was a wonderful opportunity for Kinley to reflect on her grandparents and how they are an enriching part of her life,” said Jonel Gomez, Kinley’s mother. “Kinley excels in art, so this was the perfect medium for her to express these special thoughts.”
Winners will also be featured in the November issue of the community’s monthly magazine, Shell Point Life. Shell Point Retirement Community is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers just off Summerlin Road, two miles before the Sanibel causeway. Shell Point has received national accreditation from CARF-CCAC, and is a nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry. To learn more about Shell Point, visit us at www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
