Discover Parenting 2019 Student Project Awards
Take a look at the following Powerpoint presentation of 2019 USEP-OHIO Discover Parenting Project entrants, as well as the USEP-OHIO Discover Parenting Discussion Points for Winning Photos 2019.
Discover Parenting is the title of the project, created by United Services for Effective Parenting – Ohio, Inc. (USEP-OHIO). It includes a classroom program designed to complement secondary curriculum and assist students in secondary schools to explore the theme, “How Does it Feel to be a Safe and Responsible Parent?” Students create individual or group projects, submit photos, and express their thoughts through captions. The photos are ranked based on their originality, composition, creativity and insight to the responsibilities and their feelings about parenting.
Original Category - Road and Home Safety
First Place Winner
"Mom’s Got This…and I am Safely Sleeping"
Katlynn Brush, Troy, OH
Upper Valley Career Center, Piqua, OH
Teacher – Beverly Holthaus
This wonderful photo of a totally relaxed little boy reflects the trust that youngsters have in their parents’ ability to keep them safe at all times, even in traffic. He is at rest, maybe asleep, and has not a care in the world at this moment. It is how all children deserve to feel, totally trusting of their parents to care for them. Children who are safely cared for, safely seated with the appropriate equipment and restraint can indeed say, “Mom’s Got this!” The challenges of staying current with the changing needs of a growing child means constant awareness of how to choose the correct seat for a child as he grows from infant, toddler, through childhood to adult.
Second Place Winner
"Click It Before You Get a Ticket"
Macy Wahl, Sidney, OH
Anna High School, Anna, OH
Teacher – Brenda Wuebker
This great “driver” photo reflects the importance of the driver of any automobile being properly restrained, to protect him or herself, and in turn – protecting every passenger in the car and those in other cars! An Ohio FCS teacher from Columbus was in a crash with her family in a van. She never forgot how critical it was that the driver was safely restrained! If not, every member of the family would have been at risk even if they were all wearing seatbelts. The side door came open, the van rolled, and the driver restraints allowed her to respond appropriately. Injuries were minimal! Even if all passengers are restrained, an unrestrained driver (in this case a parent) means NO control and therefore, NO possibility of keeping passengers safe from serious injury. So every driver must remember to “Click It” every time!
Third Place Winner
"Match the Height, Weight, and Age to the Appropriate Stage”
Kallista Medley, Poland, OH
Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, Canfield, OH
Teacher – Julie Pagnotta
Kallista has told us a story in a photo. The rear-facing infant seat and front-facing booster seat are age appropriate and demonstrate the critical age and size descriptions adopted by Ohio and most states. Contact the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) specialists in your county. They are the experts to help determine the kinds of seats that will work in your car and for the children according to age and size. They often help at early learning centers and hospitals when parents need advice. In Ohio, Child restraint is required! Children 4 years or under 40 pounds must be in a safety seat. 4-7 years, over 40 pounds and under 4’9” tall must be in a booster seat. An adult safety belt is permissible for 8-14 year olds. Maximum fine for the first offense is $75.
Honorable Mention
"High Fives to Save Lives!"
Aaron Court, Blake Hilbon, and Noah Dennis – Sebring, OH
Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, Canfield, OH
Teacher – Julie Pagnotta
Aaron, Blake and Noah took an important photo of an early childhood center classroom experience we wish all teachers could provide. Inviting experts like the First Responders in any community to enrich the classroom setting, offers experiences and new information that may save their lives. All students benefit when we can teach skills of safety and prevention in a way that makes the most of the classroom setting and offers actual relationships and communication with the experts. This is the best of experience and learning!
Honorable Mention
“Safety Comes in a Can…I Can, You Can, We Can be Safe by Buckling Up!”
Olivia Pulfer, Anna, OH
Anna High School, Anna, OH
Teacher – Brenda Wuebker
Olivia made her point with her catchy caption! It is clear, easy to remember and a great image of safety being easy for us to use and use again! What a clear picture it makes in our minds and helps make her point! Of course, If I can, You can, and We can be safe by Buckling Up!
Honorable Mention
"Buckled In and Ready to Go!"
Aminata Ba, Sidney, OH
Upper Valley Career Center, Piqua, OH
Teacher – Bev Holthaus
Aminata shows us a happy traveler, ready to go. She’s dressed for the day and fresh and ready to enjoy it. Showing the correctly seated child in a regulation seat, correctly installed, reminds us of the scene we want to see in every child’s life, a carefully supervised early experience with a parent who knows the proper way to install the seat and the youngster!
New Special Topics Category - Human Trafficking; Opioid/Substance Abuse; Safe at School and Community; Safe in a New Land
First Place
"Opioids Drain Your Life, Your Bank Account, and Your Child’s Future"
Madilynn Bile, Anna, OH
Anna High School, Anna, OH
Teacher – Brenda Wuebker
Madilynn created a hard-hitting pictorial story that reflects the critical targets of opioid use in so many families! The life of the addict, the family members, especially unprotected children, the financial costs that can never be recovered, and the future of everyone involved!
Second Place
“Do You Want to Be Found Like This? No. Stay Away from Opioids”
Emily Holt, Botkins, OH
Anna High School, Anna, OH
Teacher – Brenda Wuebker
Emily shows us the most frightening image – a young person overcome, overdosed or perhaps already gone! Who of us ever thought we would be encouraged to learn to carry and use a drug that can save a life by counteracting drugs! This heart-breaking photo image reminds us that the dangers are in every community, every home and school.
Third Place
“Don’t Hang on to Them…Rush to Flush!”
Taylor Noll, Anna, OH
Anna High School, Anna, OH
Teacher –
Taylor makes a good point to clarify! Some medications CAN be safely flushed. But medicines that are flushed or poured down the drain can end up polluting our waters, impacting aquatic species and contaminating our food and water supplies. Most medicines are not removed by wastewater treatment plants or septic systems. Scientists have found medicines in surface, ground and marine waters as well as soils and sediments. Using a medicine take-back program is a simple, sensible way to reduce the amount of medicines entering the environment. See Pharmacy.ohio.gov to learn about drug disposal resources (State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy) or Pharmaceutical waste – Ohio EPA – Ohio.gov. to hear about take-back locations that can be found in police stations, local pharmacies, and at special events.
Discover Parenting 2019 Project Information:
Ohio Family and Consumer Sciences educators are among the many teaching groups who have shared personal stories about their own heartbreaking and frustrating experiences: Students who became addicted, and simply “dropped out” in every way;
Parents of their students – who are addicts, and neglect their children, in every realm (emotionally, physically, socially) leaving them to survive on their own; Parents who have died of overdoses and the enormity of the impact on our students and their siblings, family members, friends, school districts, courts, law enforcement, and all of us struggling to keep up with the constant impact of these complex crises and the lifelong results.
Student photos are on display at the Statehouse Complex Riffe Center and will be displayed at the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences conference, and other conferences as available.
Enroll Now
- April 15 is the deadline for entry into the annual Discover Parenting project.
- Contact Pat Fountain [email protected] to enroll and for more information.
- The statewide exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, at the Statehouse complex in Columbus and at other conferences as possible.
- Content Standards for Career and Technical Education intersect with Discover Parenting tasks.
- Winning photos are announced to teachers during the annual conference of OATFACS, the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Science in Columbus and winners are recognized at the annual conference of the National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders (NAWHSL) at their national conference and the Ohio Early Childhood Education Conference in Sandusky, each spring.
USEP-OHIO materials available (but not required to teach Discover Parenting) “Kids in the Car with Grandparents and Others Who Care”. Teachers involved in Discover Parenting often use the USEP-OHIO materials provided in a teaching kit written by Cindy McKay. “Kids in the Car” is a NAWHSL publication developed through a safety grant to USEP-OHIO. It can be used to make video presentations to schools and in a variety of group settings.
“Discover Parenting Classroom Manual” original is available from the USEP-OHIO office [email protected]; and is presently being updated with new resources and information. “Discover Parenting Classroom Manual” was printed with support from the Ohio Department of Education includes tools which augment Ohio curriculum and was originally developed by USEP-OHIO with the support of many partners to reach teachers and their students. The Family and Consumer Sciences teachers in Ohio comprise the largest group of participants in the program, but its application could be used in student groups and organizations of all kinds.
Cindy McKay, Executive Director of USEP-OHIO said of Discover Parenting, “These students are likely to be parents in the next few years. I wish every student in Ohio had time during the high school years to think through and experience what these kids have in their class work. We are very excited about Discover Parenting and the great teachers who use it as a tool.”
Discover Parenting Guidelines
For more information contact: Pat Fountain, Project Manager, [email protected]