Students from Monroe County High, Tompkinsville Elementary, and Dixon Elementary have been declared the 1st place winners in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s 2005 Adopt-A-Highway Poster Contest today in Frankfort. The Cabinet received a record 1,116 entries from across the Commonwealth.

Each winner of this year’s contest will receive a savings bond. In addition, calendars will be presented to all winners at a luncheon ceremony to be held at the Governor’s Mansion on December 17, 2004.

The purpose of the contest was to increase environmental awareness among children, to educate children about the devastating effects of litter, and to change attitudes and behaviors about littering.

The winners are as follows:

Age 6-9

1st place Houston Gillenwater Tompkinsville Elementary School

2nd place Dalton A. Allen Gamaliel Elementary School

3rd place Sarah Leann Vincent Longest Elementary School

Age 10-13

1st place Christy Goldsberry Dixon Elementary School

2nd place Angel Gulley Tilden Hogge Elementary School

3rd place Kaitlin Snapp Jennie Rogers Elementary School

1st place Hillary Gillenwater Monroe County High School

2nd place Kerry Adkins Fairview High School

3rd place Chris Cantrell Fairview High School

The panel of judges consisted of Transportation Secretary Maxwell C. Bailey, Kentucky State University Professor Stacy Burger; Jason Keller of Governor’s Office; Michael Goins, Executive Director, Office of Public Affairs for the Transportation Cabinet; and Miranda Thacker, Statewide Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator. "We had so many excellent entries that it was really hard to pick the winners," said Secretary Bailey.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet urges students and teachers to get an early start on the 2006 Poster Contest. The Cabinet will begin accepting entries on January 1, 2005. The entries will close on September 30, 2005.