School is out and that means local children and their families will be spending more time on the water, boating, fishing, and swimming in the Indian River Lagoon and the ocean.
The Vero Beach Power Squadron sponsored a poster contest, open to local elementary and middle school students, promoting safety on the water. The theme this year was “Life Jackets.” Power Squadron member Dan Thomas coordinated the event, as a culminating activity to school visits made by Power Squadron volunteers.
The winners, all in their stylish best, gathered, along with proud parents, grandparents, and siblings, on Monday night last week to collect their awards and celebrate with an ice cream social at Power Squadron headquarters, in the shadow of the Barber Bridge.
The young artists, who were Vero Beach Elementary and Willow School students, illustrated, using brilliant color, the life-saving necessity of life jackets when boating.
“We have a roomful of winners here,” said contest coordinator and former Squadron Commander Dan Thomas, as he announced the winners, who accepted their award certificates with poise.
In addition to winning local honors, posters by Katherine Ortega and Maya Sutriasa were sent to United States Power Squadron’s national headquarters, and will be judged with entries from across the United States at the annual meeting in Jacksonville next January.
“Whenever you are in a boat,” said Blair Soop, age 9, who got to try on a life jacket that was too large, during the demonstration at school. “He put me in a big jacket and then lifted me up. And then I fell out,” she giggled.
“I would really like to thank Dan Thomas for coming to our classrooms to talk about water safety. He taught the children what to do in emergencies and they represented that in their posters,” said Vero Beach Elementary School teacher Karen Whalen .
Whalen’s parents, Power Squadron members Maureen and Matt Mathewson, have been instrumental in the volunteer outreach to the schools. Sadly, Matt Mathewson passed away six months ago, but Maureen was there Monday night, hugging the young artists, as she passed out ice cream and wiped down tables.
Whalen and her daughter, Kelsie, who teaches at the same school as her mother, had just completed their last day of school, looking surprisingly fresh and energetic, and were cheering their winning artists on proudly. She praised Thomas’ rapport with the children.
“He’s a natural,” said Whalen.
Thomas, who was, among other things in the education field, a middle school guidance counselor, listened modestly.
“Of course, the kids’ favorite part of the whole experience is blowing the air horn,” laughed Whalen.
Following the ceremony, the winning artists and their families adjourned to another room for ice cream and talk about summer vacation. Many of the young artists who had depicted boat safety in such a winning way had never been on a boat, but most were looking forward to going this summer. With all of their newfound knowledge about boat safety, all of them would be a welcome addition to any crew.