Dahl honored for Tar Wars artwork
PRINCETON — Madalyn Dahl, a student at Bureau Valley North in Walnut, has placed second in the state for her “The Buck Stops Here, Save Your Doe” Tar Wars poster.
On Monday, Dawn Conerton, with the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department, announced the fifth grader represented Bureau County in the state competition after winning the local contestant earlier this spring.
As the county winner, Madalyn received a plaque and her poster was made into a billboard which will be displayed on Route 6 in Princeton, across from the Princeton Public Library. The billboard will also be displayed in other locations throughout the county. Her winning design was also printed on T-shirts which were given to the top 20 local contest winners.
As the second-place winner on the state level, Madalyn received a plaque and box filled with art supplies.
Conerton said Madalyn is not the first local student to do very well on the state level.
In 2004, Putnam County had a first-place winner. In 2005, Bureau County had a first-place state winner. The state winners each won a trip to Washington, D.C., for the national competition. In 2006, Bureau County had a third-place state winner and now, in 2009 with Madalyn, Bureau County has a second-place state winner.
“I would like to congratulate Madalyn for winning first place in the Bureau County contest and second place in the state completion,” Conerton said Monday. “I would like to also thank all the students in Bureau County for doing a great job and participating in this tobacco-free educational program. Tar Wars is such an important program because it teaches students the dangers of smoking and educates them to stay tobacco free.”
Conerton said the Tar Wars tobacco educational program started in 2000 and the local health department has been involved with the program since that time. The program is geared for fourth- and fifth-grade students.
Judges for the Bureau County Tar Wars contest were Marsha Hartwig, Loretta Volker, Donna Barker and Les Grant. Providing sponsorship for the local program were St. Margaret’s Hospital, City of Princeton, Beta Sigma Phi Xi Mu Epsilon, Elvin M. Krabill D.D.S., First Federal Savings & Loan, Perry Memorial Hospital, Norberg Memorial, State Bank of Cherry, and Summit Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ginnie Flynn, Tar Wars coordinator for the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, commended local health department for its leadership and efforts put into the Tar Wars program.
“We are so fortunate to have our health department partners teaching Tar Wars throughout their counties,” Flynn said. “By reaching out to younger kids with a message that resonates with them, we are making a difference and bringing Illinois youth smoking rates down.”
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