Winners of the Come Go With Me Poster Contest Announced

In the winter of 2009, children in grades K-8 in Nassau and Suffolk Counties were asked to illustrate creative ways to reduce traffic congestion and air quality by demonstrating alternatives to drive-alone commuting. As a result, their participation in the Come Go With Me children's poster contest turned out a record 873 total entries and 27 registered schools.

In March, a three-judge panel consisting of one Long Island teacher and two members of the business community chose 13 winning entries. The winning artwork, which must feature a commute alternative, is used to illustrate the annual Come Go With Me calendar – one winning poster for each month, and one for the cover. Next year's calendar is currently in production, and will feature the submissions of the students listed below.

This year's winners hail from seven local schools in seven school districts across Long Island.

"My students delight in this contest. They are very happy to try to solve the problems of congestion and poor air quality here on Long Island and love to brainstorm ideas of how to carpool and use alternate means of transportation to get around. All of the children carpool quite often, whether it be on a school bus, or with friends to after school activities." - Ms. Brooke Schroder, Walt Whitman Elementary School, Syosset Central School District.

"I feel the most rewarding aspect of the contest is their work being published in the upcoming calendar.  I impress upon the children how wonderful it is to be a published artist and how their drawings make a statement on how to better our environment," added Schroder.

Download the 2010 Calendar (pdf) 6MB

The winners are:

"The LITM Poster Contest gives me the opportunity to teach my students about their environment, traffic congestion, pollution, importance of carpooling, taking the bus to school, etc. Also, the award ceremony has been a great event for my students and their parents as well." – Ms. Sefia Paduano, Maplewood Intermediate School, South Huntington School District

Ceremony at Long Island Children’s Museum
For the third consecutive year, the contest winners, their families, teachers and principals, and the New York State Assemblymen and Senators from the winners’ school districts were invited to accept their awards at Poster Contest Awards Ceremony at the Long Island Children’s Museum.

View Images from the Event

In all, nearly 150 attendees were present for the May 8th ceremony. Each student received a basket of prizes and all of the guests enjoyed a complimentary dinner courtesy of Lessing’s. The winning students also received congratulatory certificates from Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Senator Chuck Fuschillo. The two first place winners each received a $150 gift certificate towards a new bicycle donated by Brands Fitness Systems in Wantagh and The Bicycle Planet in Syosset. Afterward, the children made design your own top hats.

The annual Come Go With Me Poster Contest and Awards Ceremony is generously supported by several local organizations and businesses, including:

• Adventureland
• Arena Playhouse
• Atlantis Marine World
• Brands Fitness Systems
• Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery
• Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society
• Girl Scouts of Suffolk county
• Herrill Lanes
• Hicks Nurseries
• Home Depot
• Long Island Children's Museum
• Long Island McDonald's
• Long Island Museum
• New York Giants
• New York Jets
• Old Westbury Gardens
• Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center
• The Bicycle Planet
• The Whaling Museum
• Theatre Three Productions
• Wild Conservation Society - Bronx Zoo

"The support of the NYS Department of Transportation, the businesses and organizations who sponsor the prizes, and the Long Island schools and students are what make this event an evening to remember for the children. The opportunity to educate our future commuters and their families about the transportation alternatives available to single occupancy vehicle travel speaks to our mission to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality on Long Island." –Marianne Carillo, President and CEO of LITM.

The Come Go With Me Poster Contest is in its fourteenth year. It was started in 1995 to draw attention to and encourage alternatives to one-person-one-car transportation. To learn more about how your school or child can participate in the next year's contest, please call 877-4COMMUTE.