The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities announced on March that local students participated in the 10th Annual Coloring and Essay Contest as part of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
The event aimed to create awareness, promote inclusion, and share stories about individuals with developmental disabilities in Knox County. The board said March is a time to highlight the important roles that individuals with developmental disabilities have within the community.
According to the board, 815 students from kindergarten through fifth grade took part in the contest, representing 102 classrooms across 13 elementary schools in Knox County. The coloring contest was open to kindergarten through second grade students, while third through fifth graders participated in the essay contest.
Winners of this year’s coloring contest included Eden Taylor (Fredericktown), Olivia Legros (East Knox), Jurnee Slayton (Columbia), Mateo Rodriguez De La Cruz (Pleasant St.), Will Lybarger (East), Verity Sapp (Danville), Emmaline McKnight (Dan Emmett), Adalyn Cooley (Twin Oak), Eva Gray (Centerburg), Hunter Mugabe (St. Vincent de Paul), Remi Sockman (Wiggin St.), Blaine Escalante (7th Day Adventist), and Kera-Lynn Ramey (Learning Center). Essay contest winners were Clara Spearman (Fredericktown), Gunnar Brunson (Columbia), Josie Calkins (Pleasant St.), Emerson Thomas Garn (East), Ravlynn Smith (Danville), Addie Upton (Twin Oak), Claire Weade (Centerburg), Evie Lawrence (Wiggin St.), Stevie Sutton-Fowler (7th Day Adventist) and Noah Fisher (Learning Center).
Lauren Martin from East Elementary received recognition as the winner of this year’s teacher classroom prize. More information about the event and other initiatives can be found on the official roster page.
