May 10, 2006
Madeline Gemuenden, a
fourth-grader at Scandia Elementary in Scandia, is the winner of
the 2006 Minnesota Tar Wars Poster Contest. Her poster, which
states ‘Tobacco-Free: One Scoop in the Bowl of Life,’ shows a
cereal bowl filled with words that describe a happy life. The
word being lifted out by the spoon is tobacco-free. Posters were
judged on artistry, creativity, originality and their ability to
communicate a clear POSITIVE message to remain tobacco-free.
Gemuenden’s poster will now advance to the National Tar Wars
Poster Contest to be held this July in Washington, D.C.
The Tar Wars program is taught
by family physicians, family medicine residents, medical students
and other health care professional who join together to address
the issue of youth-targeted marketing and access to tobacco.
These volunteers go into classrooms across the state and share the
Tar Wars message. The program is filled with fun and interactive
lessons focusing on the long and short-term effects of tobacco
use, image-based effects of tobacco use and reasons people use
tobacco.
For her efforts, Gemuenden and
one adult family member will be awarded a trip to Washington,
D.C., to participate in the National Tar Wars Poster Contest. She
will also receive a framed certificate and a Tar Wars t-shirt.
The prizes were made possible thanks to a generous donation from
the United Hospital Foundation.
The posters were judged by more
than 400 family physicians during the Minnesota Academy of Family Physician’s Spring Refresher on
April 20-21, 2006. Second place went to Amber Kerfeld of Holy
Family School in Sauk Centre and third place went to Blake
Dornfeld of Oak View Elementary in Maple Grove.
Tar Wars was developed in 1988
by the Hall of Life at the Denver Museum of Natural History and
Doctors Ought to Care (DOC). It has been implemented in 50 states
and is owned and operated by the American Academy of Family
Physicians. Tar Wars was introduced in Minnesota during the
1996-97 school year. The program reaches close to 400,000
children nationally and internationally each year.
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