West Forest student’s poster selected in statewide contest

Special to the News
Published: May 11, 2008

The family of a fourth-grade student from Opelika’s West Forest Intermediate School is among those selected for recognition in the 2008 Statewide Family Poster Contest on Parental Involvement, a contest designed to raise awareness of the key role parents and families play in the education of their children, according to a release from the Alabama Department of Education. State Superintendent of Education Joseph B. Morton announced Friday that the poster submitted by the family of George Hearn, a fourth-grader at West Forest Intermediate School is the statewide winner of the contest.

George’s poster will become this year’s theme poster for Parent Visitation Month in October. Beginning in September and running through the month of October, the poster will be displayed on billboards throughout the state inviting Alabama parents to visit their child’s school. Eleven additional posters were selected to receive special recognition. They will be displayed, along with the statewide winner, at the 2008 MEGA Conference this summer in Mobile and will become a part of the 2008-2009 Alabama Parent and Family Involvement Calendar, which will be placed online at http://www.alsde.edu beginning in September.

A panel of judges selected the top 12 posters from local school system winners throughout the state, and Dr. Morton chose the statewide winner. Posters were judged according to general appeal and how well they communicated the importance of parental involvement or the 2008-2009 theme: Families and Schools —The Ultimate Connection. The complete list of all 12 winning families, their local school, and school system includes:

- The Family of Bob Bismonte, Greensboro West High School, Hale County Schools

- The Family of Gabrielle Cigrang, Robertsdale Elementary School, Baldwin County Schools

- The Family of Nick Drollette, Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School, Montgomery County Schools

- The Family of Augie Erbe, Forest Hills Elementary School, Florence City Schools

- The Family of George Hearn, West Forest Intermediate School, Opelika City Schools

- The Family of Ashlyn Irvin, Haleyville Elementary School, Haleyville City Schools

- The Family of Garrett Jones, Minor Community School, Jefferson County Schools

- The Family of Gabrielle LeFranc, Lakewood Elementary School, Phenix City Schools

- The Family of Tiffany Li, Honeysuckle Middle School, Dothan City Schools

- The Family of Colt Montgomery, Mt. Hope School, Lawrence County Schools

- The Family of Mitch Nolte, Saks Middle School, Calhoun County Schools

- The Family of Chastity Pearson, Southern Choctaw High School, Choctaw County Schools

For more information on the 2008 Statewide Family Poster Contest or parental involvement in education, contact Judy Bohannon at 334-242-8199 or .