A fifth grade student at Anna E. Norris Elementary School in East Hartford has won the 2023 Connecticut Fire Prevention Poster Contest. Ashley Recinos is the first statewide winner for the town of East Hartford.
Ashley said she spent about a week working on her poster at home after receiving the contest rules from her Physical Education Teacher Carolyn O’Connor. Student participants from around the state are asked to design and produce posters fitting the theme “Fire Prevention – Everyone/Everyday.”
Ashley’s poster features a fire truck and books about fire prevention and what to do during a fire.
“I was really happy with it. I was really proud of myself and thought maybe I had a shot at winning this,” said Ashley.
Earlier this year, she was named a Hartford County winner earning a $150 prize. All county winners were invited to a luncheon on March 29 where Ashley was announced as the statewide contest winner.
“I was really surprised,” said Ashley. “I had hope, but I didn’t know that I was going to win, so that was really big news.”
As the statewide winner, Ashley received an additional $750. Norris Elementary School received a grant of $500. Her winning poster will be exhibited at various locations around the state, including the Connecticut State Capitol.
On April 3, Norris held a small ceremony to hang Ashley’s poster in the school’s main lobby. Mayor Mike Walsh, East Hartford Fire Chief Kevin Munson, East Hartford Fire Marshal John Pelow, Superintendent Nathan Quesnel, and Assistant Superintendent Elsie Torres were there to congratulate Ashley on her accomplishments.
Norris Elementary School Principal Corrie Schram said, “Ashley is an incredibly hard-working and motivated student. You can see the time and the effort that she put into her poster within each and every single detail. She is so deserving of this recognition and we could not be prouder of her!”.
East Hartford Fire Marshal John Pelow said, “Being the fire marshal for the town, fire prevention is my big thing. Seeing one of our youth put together something so extraordinary that won the statewide award is really special. I’m excited for her and I’m excited for the town to have something like this.”