3rd Grader Clarissa Carrillo from PS114 in the Bronx, 4th Grader Melody Rodriguez of PS 114 in the Bronx, 5th Grader Jennifer Vasquez from PS 14 in Queens, 5th Grader Caroline Herrera from PS 14 in Queens, 4th Grader Anabel Cerda from PS 153 in Manhattan, 4th Grader Anabela Campos from PS 153 in Manhattan, 4th Grader Natalie Hernandez from PS 1 in Brooklyn, 4th Grader Amiya Garrett from Ulysses Byas Elementary School in Nassau County, and  5th Grader Jia Jun Zhang from PS 169 in Brooklyn, all received honorable mention and a spot in the 2011 Asthma Calendar.  Third place went to Kathy Lee, a 5th Grader from PS 169 in Brooklyn.  4th Grader Heidy Blanco from Ulysses Byas Elementary School in Nassau County took second place, and the grand prize winner was Michael Fajardo, a 4th Grader from PS 172 in Brooklyn.

The top three winners each received gift certificates, as well as prominent placement for their artwork in the 2011calendar. But the real prize for all 12 winners was being escorted out on to the field to meet and pose for pictures with the New York Mets.  Parents of the young honorees cheered loudly from the stands, as their children’s faces lit up the Jumbo-Tron.  The students were then escorted back to  the stands to enjoy the game with their families, watching, as the  Mets went on to defeat the Florida Marlins, 4 to 3.

The selection process for the event had taken place several weeks prior. Judges Sylvia D’Alessandro, former Director of Provider Relations for Health Plus; Jasmin Khargi, MPH, Program Manager for NYC Project Assist; Elizabeth D’Imperio, Program Manager for the American Lung Association; Paul L. King, Executive Director for the NYC Department of Education’s Office of the Arts and Special Projects; Theresa Quarless, Director of Health Services for Health Plus; Carmen Martinez, M.D., School Health Program Collaborating Physician for Lutheran Family Health Centers; Robin Lester Kenton, Assistant Director of Strategic Communication for the NYC Department of Transportation; and Monica Sweeney, MD, Assistant Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, met at Health Plus’s Executive Office in Downtown Brooklyn to rate and critique each of the 92 eligible entries, representing 22 schools.  After 4 rounds of judging, they arrived at the 12 finalists and the 3 top winners.

“This is one of our most cherished events,” said Tom Early, Executive Director for Health Plus. “It’s not only educational, but it really gives these young artists a chance to showcase their talent, which each year never fails to impress me.  I can see big things for these kids in the future, and I look forward to being back here again next year, and in the years to follow.”