Four Brooke County Students Named Winners in Kids Kick Opioids Contest

Four students at Brooke Middle School were named regional winners in the seventh annual Kids Kick Opioids contest sponsored by attorney general Patrick Morrisey.
Named in the Northern Panhandle were Brody Drumm, Riley Mikels, Marin Stanley and Mariska Swiger of BMS.
The competition is designed to spur creativity and raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse.
Other regional winners were: Maura Lynelle Williamson and Lucas Dawson of Weir Middle School in Hancock County; Catherine Tirona and Sophia Quattrochi of St. Joseph the Worker School in Hancock County; Cali Lucey and Dawson Hill of Cameron Middle and High School in Marshall County; and Ella Whiddon of Moundsville Middle School in Marshall County.
“Drug abuse needlessly claims too many lives, and our hope is the entries from these artistic students will bring greater awareness and change—these entries really showcase the tremendous talent of our elementary and middle school participants,” Morrisey said.
“These artworks underscore the impact of the opioid epidemic on our young students. They are growing up in a time when drug abuse runs rampant. Our hope is their artwork will bring about greater awareness and a renewed commitment to change.”
The attorney general received a total of 2,347 entries from 2,450 students at 66 middle and elementary schools across West Virginia. The submissions included a mix of drawings, poems and other designs aimed at promoting awareness.
Judges recognized winning entries from 65 students overall. Those designs will be displayed in the State Capitol in the fall.
The statewide winner and runner-up will be announced soon. That winning entry will appear in newspapers across West Virginia like the Brooke County Review as the attorney general’s next public service announcement.
Kids Kick Opioids represents one of many initiatives through which the Attorney General has sought to combat West Virginia’s drug overdose death rate, including a lawsuit against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that achieved sweeping reforms to the nation’s drug quota system.
The attorney general also has fought the opioid crisis with civil litigation, multistate initiatives, funding to target opioid abuse, criminal prosecutions, new technology, engagement with the faith-based community and education.
The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, West Virginia Association of School Nurses and the Capitol Police assisted in judging the public service announcement contest.