Mid Valley Reporter

Winners Announced in St. Helens "If I Were Mayor" Student Contest

 The St. Helens City Council announced the winners of the 2023 If I Were Mayor Student Contest at the Council’s March 15, 2023, regular session meeting. The If I Were Mayor Student Contest is an annual contest held in partnership with the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA).

The City was pleased to receive a record number of entries this year. There were 12 poster submittals for grades 4-5, two essay submittals for grades 6-8, and 23 digital presentations for grades 9-12, representing a total of 42 student participants.

In the 4th to 5th grade poster category, Japhy McMartin (5th grade) won first place and Kali Ann Dovel (4th grade) took second place. In the 6th to 8th grade essay category, Brooke Van Arsdall (7th grade) won first place and Luke De Roia (7th grade) took second place. In the 9th to 12th grade digital presentation category, Montan Reading (12th grade) won first place and Cinobia Arceneaux (12th grade) won second place.

First place winners received $150 cash and second place winners received $50 cash. All participants are invited to a lunch with Mayor Rick Scholl and other City staff to talk about their ideas and to learn more about how local government works. First place winning entries from the St. Helens contest will be sent to the state competition for a chance to win a prize worth $500.

Students addressed a number of issues in their submissions, including creating safe bicycle lanes and a pedestrian bridge over the highway, cleaning the Columbia River, promoting recycling, supporting houseless individuals, combating the rising cost of living through job creation, and increasing substance abuse and addiction services.

Original source can be found here