May/June 2020 | Page 32

National Children’s Dental Health Month 2020 Third-Grade Poster Contest Included with the lesson plan kits were instructions for entering the PDA-sponsored, third-grade poster contest. PDA annually awards $850 in monetary prizes to the students who design the top three posters. In addition, the first-place winner’s school and teacher each receive $250. This year, the PDA Central Office received more than 125 artistic and creative entries for judging. In mid-March, as we were finalizing the winning entries, schools across the state began closing due to COVID-19. Little did we know at the time that they would not reopen during this school year. One of the highlights of the contest is calling the school to notify the teacher that their student would be receiving a prize. This year, the announcements were made via email. It was heartwarming to hear the excitement in the tone of the teachers’ responses. In many respects, this school year did not have the closure that we are used to. PDA’s poster contest is no different and with that, we will be awarding prizes at the respective schools when they reopen this fall. Pictures will be shared in a future issue of the Journal. Rowen Lewis Third grade student at Mountain View Elementary School in Harrisburg 30 MAY/JUNE 2020 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL