AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced the winners of the 2015 Lyme Disease Awareness Month contest.
Maine CDC partnered with Maine schools in May to hold its sixth annual poster contest, asking students in kindergarten through eighth grade to create posters with the theme “Inspect and Protect,” emphasizing the prompt recognition and removal of ticks.
The contest winners are:
— Carter Galley, Grade 3, Owls Head Central School.
— Phoebe Ackor, Grade 5, Owls Head Central School.
— Colby Emery, Grade 6, Winthrop Middle School.
All posters were displayed in the Maine CDC offices in Augusta and rated by Maine CDC employees. Each winner received a Maine State Parks Family Day Pass and a certificate of recognition. Tick removal kits were distributed to the winners and their classmates.
Along with the contest, the Maine CDC released curriculum to be used for grades three through five that educates about ticks, mosquitoes and related diseases.
“It’s exciting to see all the new tools and resources that have been developed to help educate children on how to prevent Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases,’’ Maine CDC Director and Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Albert said in a news release. “We appreciate the efforts of teachers to help spread the ‘No Ticks 4 ME’ prevention message, and the artistic talents of the students. It is very difficult to choose a contest winner.”
To view all of the 2015 winning posters, visit www.maine.gov/lyme.
Teachers interested in adding Lyme education to their lesson plans can find CDC’s curriculum at www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/school-curriculum/index.shtml.