STRATFORD—Molly Kery, a fifth grade student at St. Mark School in Stratford, was recently named a Fairfield County winner for this year’s Connecticut Fire Prevention Poster Contest.
Molly and her family were invited to join St. Mark School Principal Melissa Warner and Art Teacher Priscilla Mahar at this week’s Stratford Town Council meeting, where she was recognized by Mayor Laura Hoydick and Deputy Fire Marshal Roy Minton.
Molly’s poster appears in the 2020 Fire Prevention calendar and a copy of it is currently hanging outside the Mayor’s office in Stratford Town Hall. It will be exhibited at the State Capitol for Fire Prevention Awareness Month this coming October.
Principal Warner shared, “St. Mark School is proud of our annual participation in the State contest, especially this year of our winner, Molly Kery. The fire prevention poster contest affords students like Molly an opportunity to showcase their talents, while serving the community by bringing attention to an important community service announcement.”
Molly and other county winners will be honored at a luncheon on March 26, 2020 at which time a state winner will be announced. Each county winner will be awarded a check for $150. The state winner will also receive an additional check for $750. A matching grant will be awarded to the state winner’s school for $500.
The Connecticut fire prevention poster contest is open to fourth and fifth grade students throughout the state to promote fire prevention and fire safety, with the theme of “Fire Prevention-Everyone / Every day.” Deputy Fire Marshal Roy Minton coordinates the event each year in Stratford in cooperation with teachers at participating Stratford schools. Minton commented, “This year, we had the best participation from St. Mark School. The students did a great job illustrating the fire safety lessons we taught them.”
The Connecticut Fire Marshals Association, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association, State Board of Education, and the Connecticut Fair Plan, that represents the insurance industry, sponsor this event. Approximately 30,000 students from 130 communities take part in this annual contest.
St. Mark School is a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School of Academic Excellence and a New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accredited school, serving students in Pre-K through Grade 8.
