Severe Weather Poster Contest

Payne Elementary School – Ella Crosby, Clay Stoller, Laura Stoller, Emily Thrasher

Paulding Elementary School – Mariah Klopfenstein, Presley Barnes, Maci Kauser – Regional Winner, Ameah Garza, Maxwell Fohner

Oakwood Elementary School – Rylee Cox, Makenna Keller, Maylie Hopkins

Antwerp Elementary School – Leila Spyker, Allison Cares (absent), Maclaren Enrhart, Hudsyn Bagley – Regional Winner

The Paulding County Emergency Management Agency, in cooperation with Paulding County Elementary Schools, participated in this year’s annual Severe Weather Awareness Poster Contest hosted by the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness. Elementary students from Paulding, Oakwood, Antwerp, and Payne Elementary picked a slogan and drew posters illustrating the severe weather of their choice. Some examples of the severe weather used were extreme heat, tornados, flooding, and thunder and lightning storms. The purpose of the poster contest is to have students demonstrate through their artwork how people can protect themselves and others from the dangers and hazards that accompany severe weather in Ohio. Paulding County has two of the 38 Regional Qualified Winners in the state that will compete for the Poster of the Year at the Ohio State Fair, Saturday, July 29, 2017. Regional winners are: Hudsyn Bagley, 1st Grader from Antwerp Elementary School and Maci Kauser, 5th grader from Paulding Elementary School.

Teachers and/or staff picked the 1st place winners from their school per grade level and then the posters were submitted to the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness. When all the posters were received, the committee chose their #1 pick, per grade-level, per region. Each regional grade winner will be honored at the state fair and the over-all winner that is chosen will have his or her poster used as the State of Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Poster for 2017.

Gift bags, along with gift cards graciously donated by Dairy Queen in Paulding, were put together for the 1st place winners in our county. Congratulations goes out to all the winners and good luck to Hudsyn and Maci at the Ohio State Fair.

Severe weather season is upon us and with so many outdoor activities going on weather plays a vital role. Please be aware of the weather forecasts and any changes that can quickly develop. Heavy rains can turn into flash flooding, lightening kills and injures more people then tornadoes, and high winds and damaging hail can cause property damage.  Severe weather comes in all shapes and sizes so please keep your eyes to the skies and always be aware!