NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Capt. J. Tim Hull
(573) 526-6115
Q4092
April 23, 2009
EMPHASIS: Patrol Announces Missouri Winners For National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest

Colonel James F. Keathley, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, congratulates three young artists from Missouri. These three fifth grade students were selected as the top state winners in the 2009 National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missing Persons Clearinghouse, is a proud sponsor of this annual contest, hosted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Washington, D.C. The contest was created in an effort to educate children across the country about child safety and to make the public aware of law enforcement’s continuous efforts to search for and recover missing children.

The theme of this year’s contest was “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” Students from Missouri elementary schools, parochial schools, and home schools were invited to participate centered on the theme. They were required to include a paragraph about how their poster describes the dilemma of missing children. The posters were sent to the Highway Patrol’s Missing Person’s Clearinghouse where members of the Highway Patrol judged them.

This year’s Missouri winner was Robert Rupp, a fifth grade student at Bishop Hogan Memorial School in Chillicothe, Missouri, and his poster will automatically be entered into the national contest. The second place winner was Stephanie Ramer from the Albany R-III Virginia E. George Elementary School in Albany, MO. Third place in the Patrol’s poster contest was awarded to Samantha Knaust of the St. Joseph Parochial School in Wentzville, MO.

“On behalf of the Patrol, I want to congratulate Robert, Stephanie, and Samantha on their winning posters,” said Colonel Keathley. “This contest is a creative way to help children communicate about a serious situation--one that occurs somewhere in our nation every day. I would like to personally thank all of the schools and children who participated in this contest.”

Three Missouri banks donated the savings bond for each child. Hawthorn Bank of Jefferson City donated the $100 bond for first place; Great Western Bank of Albany donated the second place bond in the amount of $75; and United Missouri Bank of Jefferson City donated the third place bond for $50.

To view this year’s winning posters, go to the Patrol’s website at www.mshp.dps.mo.gov and click on the "Read More" link in the web story. The Patrol will post the rules for the 2010 National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest on the website later this fall. For more information, contact the Missing Person’s Clearinghouse at (573) 526-6178.

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