The Georgia Department of Education today announced the winners of the statewide poster contest to promote a national hotline for reporting and preventing Human Sex Trafficking.
Submissions were judged by a panel of state officials representing multiple areas of expertise. Two winners from each of our 16 Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs) areas – one for an English poster and one for a Spanish poster – were chosen and will now be printed and sent to the respective RESA for distribution to the schools in that area. The winning posters will be prominently displayed in schools within their region.
The regional winners will receive a cash prize – 1st place wins $100, 2nd place wins $50, and 3rd place wins $25 (taxpayer funds are not used for any prizes).
The 1st place winning posters will now be judged to determine one state winner for the English poster and one state winner for the Spanish poster. The state winners will be announced in December 2012. State winners will receive $250.
It is estimated that 5,000 girls a year are victims of sex trafficking in Georgia. Because of its international airport and sprawling landscape, Atlanta is the center for this atrocity. We cannot stand by and allow sex trafficking to continue. Therefore, we have worked with a number of state and non-governmental organization partners to host seminars that are designed to help Georgia educators and social services workers recognize key indicators of possible human sex trafficking activities, as well as sex trafficking victims.
Sex Trafficking Poster Contest Winners
Metro RESA:
- English Winner: Terea Abernathy - Stephenson HS
- First Runner-up (English): Danielle Sharief - Stephenson HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Nina Wilks - Ronald McNair HS
- Spanish Winner: Nancy Ramirez - Cross Keys HS
Coastal Plains RESA
- English Winner: Lucy Walker - NE Campus Tift County HS
North GA RESA:
- English Winner: Melannie Badillo - North Murray HS
- First Runner-up (English): Karina Paniagua - Dalton HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Alma Rangel - North Murray HS
West GA RESA:
- English Winner: Cammie Armstrong - Carrolton HS
- First Runner-up (English): Aaron Wilford - Carrolton HS
First District RESA:
- English Winner: Morgan Moseley - Wayne County HS
- First Runner-up (English): Sydney Howard - Wayne County HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Katlynn Peacock - Wayne County HS
- Spanish Winner: Saresa D. Pearce - Golden Isles Career Academy
Griffin RESA:
- English Winner: John Hornsby - Woodland HS
- First Runner-up (English): Jenni Loveless - Whitewater HS
- Spanish Winner: Jenni Loveless - Whitewater HS
- First Runner-up (Spanish): Samantha Remley - Whitewater HS
Southwest GA RESA:
- English Winner: Maura Butler - Cairo HS
- First Runner-up (English): Payge Hampton - Cairo HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Tyler Angelier - Cairo HS
Pioneer RESA:
- English Winner: Logan Helton - White County Ninth Grade Academy
- First Runner-up (English): Becca Pontes - White County Ninth Grade Academy
Heart of Georgia RESA:
- English Winner: Amanda Jarrard - West Laurens HS
- First Runner-up (English): Lakena Meminger - Dublin HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Ashley Arthur - West Laurens HS
Middle GA RESA:
- English Winner: Kaitlin Swinson - Jones County HS
- First Runner-up (English): Hannah Miller - Jones County HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Ashley Elander - Jones County HS
Northeast GA RESA:
- English Winner: Marlee Kirby - Elbert County HS
- First Runner-up (English): Amelia Rangel - Elbert County HS
- Second Runner-up (English): Keona Brown - Elbert County HS
- Spanish Winner: Erika Perez - Elbert County HS
- First Runner-up (Spanish): Casy De la Rosa - Elbert HS
Chattahooche-Flynt RESA:
- English Winners (Group Project): Taylor County HS
Ansleigh Jarrell
Erin Scott
Nina Nguyen
Laura Kay Bazemore
Chansie Willis
Amy Bazemore
Oconee RESA
- English Winner: Tierra Myrick - Putnam County HS
Northwest GA RESA
- English Winner: Shyla Crenshaw - Paulding County HS
- First Runner-up (English): Taylor Voraphongphibul - Paulding County HS
Second Runner-up (English): Katherine Hydrick - Paulding County HS