Mikenna Phillips, a fifth grade art student from Spruce Mountain Elementary School in Jay, has won the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2020 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest. Submitted photo

JAY — Each year the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention holds a tick poster contest to promote Lyme disease prevention. Once again students from Spruce Mountain Elementary School have been winners in the contest.

The Maine CDC’s 2020 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest theme was Tick Tock.

Mikenna Phillips, a fifth grade art student from Spruce Mountain Elementary School in Jay, had the winning poster in the Maine CDC’s 2020 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest. Her poster, seen here, followed the contest theme of Tick Tock. Submitted photo

Fifth grade artist, Mikenna Phillips’ artwork was chosen to be the 2020 Maine State CDC tick and Lyme Disease Awareness poster. Her poster will be seen all over the state this year at state parks to help teach people about lyme disease prevention.

Phillips will receive a park pass for her family to go to a Maine State Park free for a day. SMES art teacher  Tamara Lindsey also has tick kits to give to Mikenna and her family.

Zoe Groomes’ poster was selected as an outstanding honorable mention. She will also receive a park pass for a day for Zoe and her family. The CDC also sent her tick kits to share.

Other SMES artists selected to participate in the State Tick Poster Contest were Maddox Ryder, Jaxon Giroux, Madelain Morrell, Camryn Lovewell, Anna Moffett, Alaina Kachnovich and Summit Woodcock. All of these artists received a Certificate of Participation award from the CDC and tick removal kits.

“Each year I teach our students about ticks and Lyme disease,” Lindsey said. “They all think I am crazy to teach about ticks in the middle of winter. However, I believe it is important that our students learn about ticks and the tick-borne diseases that they can carry.

“I know I did not grow up with ticks in Maine as a kid. These kids need to be aware and help teach those around them about the dangers of ticks. The CDC Tick Poster Contest has been our artistic community service project.

“The SMES students are truly creative. I asked that all students put their poster out in their community to teach others about the diseases ticks carry and create awareness of what they need to do to keep themselves safe from those diseases.”

A student from SMES has had the winning poster for the last ten years.

“Hopefully, with this project our students stay aware and tick disease free,” Lindsey said.

Zoe Groomes, a SMES art student, is seen with the poster she made for Maine CDC’s 2020 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest. The poster was named outstanding honorable mention. Submitted photo

This poster drawn by SMES art student Zoe Groomes received outstanding honorable mention in the Maine CDC’s 2020 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest. Submitted photo