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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced five students from the Northern Panhandle as regional winners of his office’s fourth “Kids Kick Opioids” contest, a competition designed to spur creativity and raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.
Four of the regional winners attend schools in Weirton. They are Chloe Orecchio of St. Joseph the Worker School; EJ Cottrill of St. Joseph the Worker School; Onna Welsh of St. Paul Catholic School; Mia Pietranton of St. Paul Catholic School
Ursie Wendt of Triadelphia Middle School also was named a regional winner.
“These entries demonstrate the immense creativity and talent of our students,” Morrisey said. “In some instances, their designs also reveal the heartbreaking situations that some students experience at home. Drug abuse continues to needlessly claim too many lives and our hope is the entries from these talented students will bring greater awareness and change.”
Morrisey’s office received a total of 3,366 entries from 3,521 students at 91 middle and elementary schools across West Virginia, which is noted to be the highest participation since the design contest began. The submissions included a mix of drawings, poems and other designs aimed at promoting awareness.
Judges recognized winning entries from 41 students overall. Those designs will be displayed in the State Capitol in the fall.
The statewide winner and runners up will be announced soon. The statewide winning entry will appear in newspapers across West Virginia as the Attorney General’s next public service announcement.
The West Virginia State Medical Association, West Virginia Association of School Nurses and the Capitol Police assisted in judging the public service announcement contest.