group of student coloring and essay winners
Back Row: Zeb Vanderhoof, Zayden Sapp, Hadley Mann, Abigail Puzines, Lily McCament, Keely Booth, Samantha Jagger, Rylei Morton, Kate Gottke. Front Row: Addyson Pollock, Aubree Miller, Zoey Light, Rowan Kerr, Elena Suazo-Faber, Kennedy Vicars, Jayce Glick, Giada Gallo. Not Pictured: Maezie Stefanik, Maren Waibel, Oliver Albers, Carter Mackie, Eva Johnson, Savannah Byall and Ms. Sarah Vance (teacher prize winner) Credit: Submitted


MOUNT VERNON — Children from across the county participated in the annual DD Awareness Month coloring and essay contest for Knox DD.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, giving the Knox County community a great opportunity to create awareness, learn more about inclusion, and share in the stories of individuals who live, work, and thrive in our county.

While the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities and its provider agency partners are active year-round in providing service and support for those with developmental disabilities, March is a particularly fun time for us to highlight the important roles that individuals with developmental disabilities have within the fabric of our great community.

The Knox County Board of DD was excited to host its 8th annual coloring and essay contest for Knox County elementary schools this year and thanks the students for helping us celebrate. Nine hundred and thirty-five students participated in the coloring (K-2nd grades) and essay (3rd-5th grades) contests; 111 classrooms representing 12 different elementary schools participated.

The winners of this year’s coloring contest for K-2nd grades are Maezie Stefanik (Fredericktown), Aubree Miller (East Knox), Maren Waibel (Columbia), Addyson
Pollock (Pleasant St.), Kennedy Vicars (East), Rowan Kerr (Danville), Jayce Glick (Knox Learning Center), Oliver Alberts (Dan Emmett), Carter Mackie (Twin Oak), Giada Gallo (Centerburg), Zoey Light (St. Vincent de Paul), and Elena Suazo-Faber (Wiggin Street).

The winners of the essay contest for3rd-5th grades are Hadley Mann (Fredericktown), Rylei Morton (East Knox), Eva Johnson (Columbia), Abigail Puzines (Pleasant St.), Zeb Vanderhoof (East), Kate Gottke (East), Zayden Sapp (Danville), Savannah Byall (Dan Emmett), Lily McCament (Twin Oak), Samantha Jagger (Centerburg) and Keely Booth (Wiggin Street).

Congratulations also go to Sarah Vance from Danville Elementary for winning the teacher classroom prize this year.