Radon awards go to Oly Jr. High students

Three Olympus Jr. High School students won statewide in this year’s national radon poster contest sponsored by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Radiation Control. The winning students are:

• First-place winner Anna Pinnock (13), Holladay, for her poster: “Don’t Let Radon Fill Your Home!"
• Second-place winner Maren Maxfield (12), Holladay, for her poster: “Radon Kills Like a Cigarette”
• Third-place winner Spencer Bickel (12) for his poster: "Radon Kills People"

Ninety students (ages 9 – 14) from schools throughout the state rose to the challenge of educating people about radon through their artwork. Posters illustrated the dangers of radon, where it comes from, how it gets into our homes, and how residents can test their home for this invisible, radioactive gas.

The creative artwork was displayed on the division’s website for public voting. Winning posters were selected on content accuracy, visual communication of a specific topic, poster reproducibility (with title/topic on the front) for possible publication, and originality.

The 2012 state winners and the first-place winner’s school will receive cash awards. The winning posters will then be entered in the National Radon Poster contest. National winners will receive award plaques and gift cards in the amount of $1,000 for first place, $600 for second, $400 for third, and $400 a special mention. In the past, several Utah winners have gone on to be national winners.