Valley Grange honors student advertisement designers
GUILFORD — For 11 years the Valley Grange of Guilford has sponsored advertisements in the Piscataquis Observer’s annual Newspapers in Education supplement, which features business advertisement content created and drawn by school children from around the region.
The advertisements for the Valley Grange promoting the organization and its activities have been drawn by students at the former Guilford Primary School and now at Piscataquis Community Elementary School as again in 2019 PCES third- and fourth-graders put their talents to work.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
VALLEY GRANGE AD WINNERS — On April 4 the Valley Grange of Guilford announced the winners in the organization’s 11th annual Newspapers in Education advertising contest as Piscataquis Community Elementary School third- and fourth-graders all drew an advertisement to represent the organization in the Piscataquis Observer Newspapers in Education supplement. From left is grade 3 winner Macie Littlefield and grade 4 students Ruth Hartford, Prudence Bridge, and Danika Wyman — third to first place respectively.
Nearly all the Piscataquis Observer Newspapers in Education advertisements are done by middle and high school students but the Valley Grange sees an opportunity to include some younger artists. Through a collaboration with art teacher Jane Daniels, the Valley Grange continues to sponsor two ads annually — one drawn by a grade 3 artist and another from grade 4. All students in the two grades participate as Daniels includes the program as part of her classroom curriculum.
During a morning assembly on April 4 the grade winners and second- and third-place artists were all announced. The Valley Grange uses the top advertisements from each grade in organization promotional materials throughout the year.
With the students sitting on one section of gym bleachers, Valley Grange Lecturer and Program Director Walter Boomsma told the audience about how the grade 3-4 winners would be selected to run in the April 17 Newspapers in Education supplement.
“I have to tell you the judges had a really hard time but we liked all the ads so much that next week everyone is going to get a thank you magnet because as long as you tried everybody is a winner for doing your best work,” Boomsma said. He said the magnets can be used to hold school papers on the fridge.
Boomsma noted that the Grange was particularly pleased so many ads included a reading theme and dictionaries, reflecting the students’ appreciation for the Grange’s Bookworm and Words for Thirds Program. “Our goal with the kids is to create a love of reading and learning,” he said. “These ads suggest we’re achieving it.”
Boomsma started by announcing Kaydance Benson as the third-place grade 3 artist and he said Macie Littlefield will represent the Valley Grange on April 17 among third-graders. Littlefield’s first-place drawing encouraged folks to visit the Valley Grange website and included a bookworm.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
GRADE 3 THIRD-PLACE ARTIST — PCES third-grader Kaydance Benson came in third for her grade in the Valley Grange’s annual Newspapers in Education advertising contest.
The PCES fourth-graders then had their turn to learn the results as Ruth Hartford drew the third-place advertisement and second-place honors went to Prudence Bridge. The forthcoming published advertisement belongs to Danika Wyman. Wyman used the headline “Make Your Voice Heard” and encouraged volunteering at Valley Grange to “help school kids learn and grow!”
Valley Grange Master Jim Annis said that Valley Grange is happy to sponsor a number of programs at PCES and other schools in the area. “We just love being at the school,” he said. “These kids are our future and they give us hope.”