MyPlate posters bring out the creative side in students
Sarah Miller, left, Kari Yoder and Lyla Yoder showcase their award-winning poster entries in the MyPlate Poster Contest designed to highlight the value of proper nutrition and exercise.
With fast food options dominating landscapes throughout America, it is often a good reminder for young people to gain insight into proper nutrition, and that is the entire purpose of the annual MyPlate contest for seventh-grade girls from Chestnut Ridge, Mt. Hope and Wise schools.
On Nov. 7 the MyPlate Poster Contest took place at Chestnut Ridge School, where the seventh-grade girls brought their designed posters based on the healthy eating information provided by the MyPlate curriculum.
Janna Mast, family and consumer science teacher for seventh and eighth grade, spearheads the contest and said it is a strong introduction to the importance of a healthy lifestyle and becomes even more memorable because it requires an investment from the girls, who take their posters very seriously.
“We see a great deal of attention to detail and creativity in the posters every year, and each year they get more inventive,” Mast said. “The information for MyPlate has always been the same, and it’s very straightforward, but I’m always amazed to see how many unique and creative ways the girls can bring that information to life. Even if girls choose the same theme, what they present always looks totally different, and that is great because they put their own unique spin on it.”
From monarch butterflies and baseball diamonds to pumpkin patches, kites, playgrounds and many other ideas, the MyPlate posters bring out the best in the girls as they hope to emerge with a ribbon in this contest.
The overall winner for the MyPlate Poster Contest was Sarah Miller from Chestnut Ridge, who opted to showcase the baseball themed “Swinging for Nutrition” poster.
Second place went to Kari Yoder of Wise, who drew the attention of the judges based on her pumpkin patch poster’s neatness. Third place went to Lyla Yoder, who showcased a strong penchant for her artistic skills with her butterfly-themed poster.
Judges for the MyPlate Poster Contest included Tami Polen, former librarian at Chestnut Ridge, and Shannon Stutzman, former FCS teacher at Chestnut Ridge.
“One thing we really focused on was how neat each poster was, but something we felt was important was that the MyPlate information was easy to read,” Stutzman said. “It’s a poster and should try to inform people about the important message on your poster. That was the most important feature.”
“But we also really enjoyed the creative side,” Polen said. “We really had difficulty in choosing the winners because so many of them were fun and unique.”
Stutzman said Miller’s baseball-themed poster was not only neatly done, but also had eye-catching art and placed importance on the physical fitness aspect.
She said while Yoder’s pumpkin patch didn’t have the most artwork, it did possess a distinct message of the importance of the MyPlate theme, and its tidy appeal was simple yet effective.
“With a poster you’ve got 15 seconds to impact people and draw their attention to get your message across,” Stutzman said. “We were really impressed with how much effort and work the girls put into their posters. There were so many of them that could have won.”
There also were award ribbons given to individual school winners, who were as follows:
—Mt. Hope: Lyla Yoder, first; Ava Miller, second; SaraBeth Miller, third; and Kara Miller, honorable mention.
—Wise: Kari Yoder, first; Anne Schlabach, second; Sheryl Raber, third; and Krissy Mast, honorable mention.
—Chestnut Ridge: Sarah Miller, first; Kathy Yoder, second; Alysa Miller, third; and Alea Yoder, honorable mention.
Posters will be displayed at Berlin Fabrics from Nov. 22 through Dec. 6. Sponsorship gift certificates for winners were donated by Berlin Fabrics.