Ocean City High School Students Win 'Family Tree' Competition

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Two Ocean City High School students were recently honored for their winning entries in the 2018 New Jersey Teen Media Contest, the New Jersey Department of Human Services announced on Wednesday.

Sophia Ginet won first place in the high school written category. Lauren Mirsky was third in the high school artwork category. They were among 12 New Jersey high school and middle school students honored for their artistic and written word portrayal of how their family tree may look.

The contest was hosted by the department’s Division of Family Development, with the theme: Child Support. It’s More Than Just Money. Winners were chosen based upon their interpretation of the year’s theme, with the winning art and written pieces to be featured in the annual Child Support calendar. Last year’s winners can be viewed at www.NJTeenMedia.org.

“We are continually amazed at the talent, thought and emotion that the students put into their entries,” Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson said. “The caliber of the entries is a testament to the students and their teachers and schools. The contest saw one of its greatest levels of participation this year, and we thank schools statewide for continuing to embrace this program. From a short story on the boundless nature of family to poems about the history of prior generations to visually captivating artwork, this year’s winners rose to the top through their unique and personal perspectives on family and their ability to capture the theme through imagination, words and images.”

In addition to having their artwork featured in the 2019 calendar, each winner receives a plaque of achievement, a gift card and a pair of day passes to Six Flags Great Adventure. All winning entries will be displayed in the Statehouse Annex Tunnel from May 29 to June 1, 2018.

“This annual contest, now in its 23rd year, is just one way that we provide support to family units and young people statewide,” Division of Family Development Director Natasha Johnson said. “The slogan for New Jersey’s child support program is ‘Child Support. It’s more than just money,’ and we welcome the opportunity to provide our young people a medium to really think about their family unit in a completely creative way.”

For more information about this program or the New Jersey Office of Child Support Services, call 1-877-NJKIDS1 or go to www.NJChildSupport.org.

The attached image was provided: Pictured (L-R) are Isha Shrivastava; Patricia A. Risch, Assistant Director of the Office of Child Support Services; Kelsey Besser; Avia Hurley; Krishna Patel; Bianca Lumang; Lauren Mirsky; Kacey Zuniga; Mia Tomasino; Hannah Malcolm; Miya Preyer; Davian Small; Elisa Neira, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Human Services; and Natasha Johnson, Director of the Division of Family Development.