Lynn students have opportunity to participate in poster contest

LYNN-Whether the situation results from runaways, kidnapping or worse, there are nearly 59,000 missing children under the age of 18 in the United States, but students across the country now have the opportunity to aid in a campaign to help bring missing children home to their families.The Massachusetts Department of Education released information last week on a U.S. Department of Justice’s annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.The contest, open to any fifth grade student or class, gives students the unique opportunity to design the poster that will represent the campaign to bring children home across the country, and gives teachers the opportunity to educate students on the facts about missing children, and how to stay safe.Contest applicants will be sponsored at the local level, and compete for a state championship in the poster competition. The winners from each state will then travel to Washington D.C. in the spring of 2008 to compete for the national championship. The winners will have their posters displayed for the entire year wherever the Department of Justice advertises the campaign.The official contest rules state that all applicants must be in the fifth grade, and all posters must reflect the theme “Bring our Missing Children Home,” which must appear at least once on the poster. The theme must be displayed visually using one or more colorful mediums, including paint, crayons, colored pencil, charcoal, magic markers or spray paint, and must be 11×14 in size.Posters must be accompanied by a written application stating a brief profile of the artist and a description of the poster.The artwork will be judged on originality of design, incorporation of this year’s theme and use of color and design materials, and the application will also be judged on understanding of the subject, clarity and grammar up to the expected fifth grade performance level.To enter the contest, teachers or school leaders must contact the Massachusetts Missing Children’s Clearing House Manager Nicole Morrell, who will manage and coordinate the statewide judging and winner regulations. Local entities, such as individual schools or school departments will determine the winners at a local level before bringing one winner to the state competition.At the national level, judging will be conducted by representatives from the Child Protection Division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Americans for the Arts, and the law enforcement community.The Child Protection Division who will also notify the winner’s school and the local media outlets will notify the national award winner.Awards at the local level will include a certificate of recognition for each applicant from a local sponsoring agency, which teachers can print off of the Internet and present to each student.All sponsoring agencies should duplicate the winning poster and display the poster prominently throughout the community.The Department of Justice will award the state winners with official certificates, and the national winners will receive an award certificate, U.S. Savings Bond and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. for the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony, held May 25, 2008.The winning poster (original and copies) will be displayed at the Department of Justice, Congressional Offices, and other locations as determined by the Child Protection Division and the Department of Justice, and may be used in publications, exhibits, displays and on web sites as determined by the Child Protection Division and the Department of Justice.It will also be used as the symbol for the National Missing Children’s Day ceremony in 2009. The winner will once again travel to Washington, D.C. in 2009 when his/her poster will be presented as the national symbol for Missing Children’s Day 2009. Photos of the winner and his or her poster will also be available through t