We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Natalie Richman, a sophomore at Turner Public School, won the Grand Prize in the coloring/drawing contest sponsored by the Mental Health Local Advisory Council (LAC) for Blaine County. The activity was a featured event during Suicide Prevention Month.
During September, which is recognized nationally as Suicide Prevention Month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness. In that spirit, the Blaine County Health Department sponsored a coloring contest. Winners were announced in mid-October, and among those winning artists were three Turner Public School (TPS) students: Natalie Richman, Evelyn Handran, and Tessa Cowan.
Valerie Beck, a registered nurse with the Blaine County Health Department, explained that the coloring/drawing contest started in 2016 and is sponsored by the Mental Health Local Advisory Council (LAC) for Blaine County. "This is the ninth year of putting it together," Beck reported. "September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, and the Mental Health Local Advisory Council for Blaine County wants young people to know that every single person means something to someone."
The LAC contest consists of two categories: kindergarten through third grade and fourth grade through grade twelve. The younger group simply colors a page and returns it to the LAC in care of Blaine County Health Department for judging.
The older group, however, is invited to celebrate each person's worth by drawing a page to be colored for the upcoming year's contest. Prizes are awarded to the top design in each of the following groups: Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. One of these winners is selected as the grand prize winner, and that design will be distributed next year as the coloring page for grades K-3.
All entries were due by September 30 this year. The schools that participated in LAC's 2024 Coloring Contest were Chinook High School, Meadowlark Elementary, Zurich School, Cleveland School, Turner School, and Harlem High School and Elementary.
At TPS, Art Instructor, Mrs. April Fox decided to invite her students to participate. Students were asked to design a coloring page that promotes positive mental health with the understanding that it would be used for the younger students' coloring contest. Since tenth grade is the only high school or junior high art class that meets with Mrs. Fox this semester, she assigned them the task. "I was unable to fit it in with grades 4-6 unfortunately," Mrs. Fox reported.
With a cow themed design and the slogan "Mooving Along To Better Days," the art of Natalie Richman, a sophomore at Turner Public School, caught the judge's eye. For her design, Richman won the Grand Prize and was awarded a box of art supplies with two sketch books. Richman's art will also be featured in the 2025 Coloring Contest.
Although her entire art class was required to participate, Richman explained that her connection to suicide prevention inspired her "to help try and prevent suicide for future generations."
For her work in the K-3 category, Evelyn Handran won two Halloween-themed scratch art masks. "They are black, and when you scratch them, they have rainbow colors underneath," Evelyn's mother Cassie Handran explained.
Evelyn wore her mask on October 30 during Red Ribbon Week for Superhero day.
Another winner in the K-3 group was Tessa Cowan, a kindergartener who won a marbling art kit.
Laura Feltz, Chronic Disease Program and Billing Specialist with Blaine County Health Department, reported that other winners of the 2024 coloring contest are from the Cleveland, Harlem, Meadowlark, and Zurich schools, grades K-3.
