GEICO Names Ko Grand-Prize Winner in National Safety Belt Poster Contest
WASHINGTON, April 15 -- With her classmates cheering her on, Elizabeth Ko stepped forward at a school assembly recently to accept her award as a grand-prize winner in GEICO's national poster contest. Ko, a tenth- grader at Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, Md., earned top honors in the 12-15 age group by creating a strong message for proper safety belt use.
GEICO will distribute thousands of copies of Ko's poster throughout its national network of offices and community sites.
GEICO representatives Todd Snook and Tom Snyder visited Mount de Sales Academy to present Ko with a $500 cash prize. GEICO also contributed $500 to her school for art supplies. Mount de Sales Academy's art teacher, Judi Lanciotti, accepted the award on behalf of the academy.
Ko's poster emphasized the importance of buckling up for both adults and children. (See photo link of poster)
More than 1,800 students from over 350 schools in the country entered this year's contest. GEICO spreads the safety belt message among children and their parents though this annual contest.
"We want students to learn very early that using a safety belt is the most important thing they can do to improve their odds of safely surviving a crash," said GEICO Chairman Tony Nicely. "Through this contest, we hope to emphasize the importance of safety belts and save lives."
Schools across the U.S. are invited to participate in GEICO's poster contest each year. Students use their creativity and artistry to draw, paint, color or cut and paste an original picture and message emphasizing the importance of using safety belts.
The regional winners of GEICO's 2002 Safety Belt Poster Contest (see list following) were judged in two age groups: 6-to-11, and 12-to-15. For each age group, entries within each of six geographical regions are judged against other posters from the same region. First-, second- and third-place prizes of $125, $75 and $50 are awarded in each region for each age group. From the regional first-place winners, one grand-prize winner is chosen for each age group and receives an additional $375. The grand-prize winners' schools also receive $500 for art supplies.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is one of the fastest- growing auto insurers in the nation and insures more than 5 million policyholders and over 7.3 million automobiles. GEICO uses television, radio, print media and direct mail to attract customers to call its 1-800-841-3000 number, and keeps its rates low by dealing directly with the customer. GEICO offers sales and claim services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, go to www.geico.com.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) and its affiliates GEICO General, GEICO Indemnity and GEICO Casualty companies insure private passenger automobiles and provide homeowner and other types of insurance for qualified applicants. The companies market collectively under the trademark GEICO Direct.
GEICO'S 2002 SAFETY BELT POSTER CONTEST WINNERS
GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
Ages 12-15 Elizabeth Ko Ages 6-11 Andrew Morejon
Age 15, Grade 10 Age 11, Grade 6
Mount de Sales Academy Albert Leonard
Catonsville, Md. Middle School
New Rochelle, N.Y.
REGIONAL WINNERS AGES 12-15
Middle Atlantic
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Elizabeth Ko So Yeong Park Matthew Miller
Age 15, Grade 10 Age 15, Grade 9 Age 12, Grade 7
Mount de Sales Academy Oakton High School Shiloh Middle School
Catonsville, Md. Vienna, Va. Hampstead, Md.
Northeast
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Dana Sarcoccio Oladayo Z. Idowy Sandra Jordan
Age 13, Grade 8 Age 12, Grade 7 Age 13, Grade 8
West Hampstead Mdl.Sch. MS 180 (ALPS) Anne M. Dorner
West Hampstead, N.Y. Far Rockaway, N.Y. Ossing, N.Y.
Southeast
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Ashley Reeves Danny Bakst Alexander Raudez
Age 13, Grade 8 Age 13, Grade 8 Age 13, Grade 7
West Laurens Terrace Community Aspira of Florida
Middle School School Miami, Fla.
Dublin, Ga. Tampa, Fla.
Midwest
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Kelly Schumacher Jenna Lynn Skophammer Fiona M. Black
Age 14, Grade 9 Age 15, Grade 11 Age 14, Grade 9
Lutheran High Fort Dodge Sr. Black Academy High School
School South High School Bolivar, Tenn.
St. Louis, Mo. Fort Dodge, Iowa
Western
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Rogelyn Agliam Alden Godoy Melody Joy Gamulo
Age 13, Grade 8 Age 12, Grade 7 Age 13, Grade 8
Kalakaua Middle Kalakaua Middle Kalakaua Middle
School School School
Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii
Southwest
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Ruishi Wang Janie Enloe Desi Alexander
Age 15, Grade 10 Age 12, Grade 7 Age 12, Grade 6
Bellaire High School Home Ed Plus Home Ed Plus
Bellaire, Texas Houston, Texas Houston, Texas
REGIONAL WINNERS AGES 6-11
Middle Atlantic
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Justin Garcia Fuad Balashov Kristen Diane Maxwell
Age 9, Grade 4 Age 10, Grade 5 Age 11, Grade 6
Garcia Home Ashburton Elementary Washington New Church Sch.
School Bethesda, Md. Mitchellville, Md.
Virginia Beach, Va.
Northeast
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Andrew Morejan Franklyn Zabala Driesen Allyce Heath
Age 11, Grade 6 Age 11, Grade 6 Age 9, Grade 4
Albert Leonard Middle Evangel Christian St. Brendan
School School New Haven, Conn.
New Rochelle, N.Y. Long Island City, N.Y.
Southeast
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize - Tie
Harper Bruens Ashley Devitt Kellen Wright
Age 8, Grade 3 Age 11, Grade 5 Age 9, Grade 4
AD Henderson Park Maitland School Park Maitland School
University School Maitland, Fla. Maitland, Fla.
Boca Raton, Fla.
Emily Bakst
Age 11, Grade 6
Terrace Community School
Tampa, Fla.
Midwest
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Paul Heiniger Carly Calhoun Scott Skophammer
Age 11, Grade 6 Age 11, Grade 6 Age 11, Grade 5
Crosby Middle School Fennimore Elementary Fair Oaks Middle School
Louisville, Ky. School Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fennimore, Wis.
Western
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Kyoo Susan Kim Leticia Ruiz Kasie Henderson
Age 11, Grade 6 Age 11, Grade 6 Age 8, Grade 3
Stevenson Middle School Stevenson Middle Hidden Hills
Honolulu, Hawaii School Phoenix, Ariz.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Southwest
First Prize Second Prize Third Prize
Widya Adidharma Daniel Lim Rebekah Lim
Age 11, Grade 5 Age 11, Grade 6 Age 9, Grade 4
Thayer Elementary School Home Ed Plus Home Ed Plus
Laramie, Wyo. Houston, Texas Houston, Texas
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