Pocahontas County student chosen as statewide ‘Kids Kick Opioids’ contest winner
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
POCAHONTAS COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — A student from a school in Pocahontas County was selected as the statewide winner of the 2023-2024 Kids Kick Opioids contest.
Marlinton Middle School student, Mallory Koerber, from Pocahontas County was chosen by the judges as the 2023-2024 Kids Kick Opioids contest winner.
Through a public service announcement partnership with elementary and middle schools, the Kids Kick Opioids contest helps students increase awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.
Chuck Mathena Center holds first Patriots Pledge Ceremony
Koerber’s drawing, courtesy of the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office, shows a woman pulling back a curtain on her face to reveal the words, “Addiction is giving up everything for one thing. Recovery is giving up one thing for everything.”
Mallory’s artwork hits the nail on the head. Addiction makes people give up everything for that one thing. That’s the heartbreaking reality of opioid dependence for people in active addiction and their families. But the rest of the message—Recovery is giving up one thing for everything—is the hope of every person in addiction and every substance abuser’s family.
Patrick Morrisey | West Virginia Attorney General (R-WV)
The statewide runners-up for the contest were Isabella Swayne, from Andrew Jackson Middle School in Kanawha County, and Catherine Tirona, from St. Joseph the Worker School in Hancock County.
Concord Esports awarded the Commissioner’s Cup Award by the Eastern College Athletic Conference
2,135 entries of a combination of poems, drawings, and more that encouraged awareness, from 2,177 students at 71 middle and elementary schools across West Virginia were sent to Morrisey.
I congratulate Mallory, our runners-up and all our regional winners for their hard work and creativity in promoting awareness of opioid abuse. We must reach kids at an early age and teach them about the dangers and serious consequences of drug abuse, and we must do everything possible to attack the root causes of addiction.
Patrick Morrisey | West Virginia Attorney General (R-WV)
Winning designs from a total of 69 students were recognized by the judges, and the designs will be shown in Fall 2024 in the State Capitol. Koerber, Swayne, and Tirona’s designs can be found on the Attorney General’s website. Aside from Morrisey, the judges for the contest included West Virginia Association of School Nurses, the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, and the Capitol Police.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
