Cherry Hill Middle School Student Takes Top Honors in Statewide Contest

A Carusi Middle School student took top honors in the Department of Human Services’ statewide Teen Media Contest this week.

Sharina Kuo took first place in the Middle School category at the event hosted by DHS’ Division of Family Development’s Office of Child Support on May 13.

The contest uses the topic of family to engage high school and middle school students in creative thinking through art.

Students, under the guidance of their school’s art faculty, create original handmade artwork to complement the Department’s ongoing advertising and outreach campaign: “Child Support. It’s more than just money.”

Winners are chosen based upon their interpretation of the year’s theme, with the winning artwork and a select number of “honorable mention” pieces included in the annual Child Support calendar published every year.

An image of Kuo and her winning entry “Family in My Hands,” provided by DHS, is attached to this post.

“This year’s theme captured the diversity of family structures in New Jersey, while honoring the contributions they make through community service to their neighbors and their world,” Acting DHS Commissioner Elizabeth Connolly said. “This year’s artwork clearly shows the enthusiasm of the students to show how they can make positive contributions to society.”

Kuo was challenged to illustrate the way in which “families are greater than the sum of their parts.”

This theme encourages students to show how families can make an impact on their neighborhood, their community and their world, regardless of the traditional or non-traditional family structure.

“We are amazed, year after year, on how the students internalize the annual theme and create some beautiful artwork. Each of the hundreds of entries we receive each year contain unique illustrations of parents and their children, from all walks of life,” Natasha Johnson, Division of Family Development Director, said.

Kuo’s artwork will be featured in the 2016 calendar. She also received a plaqueof achievement, an American Express gift card, and a pair of day passes to Six Flags Great Adventure.

Her entry will be among those displayed in the Statehouse Annex Tunnel from May 18- 22.