Can lightning strike twice in Maplewood and South Orange?

Last year Columbia High School student Emma Gordon, now a senior, won a national grand prize and a national first place for a poster she submitted to the AAA 66th Annual Traffic Safety Poster Program.

The 67th annual poster program has just been announced, and now students in our district and across the country will have another shot at glory. Students aged 3 to 14 are eligible to enter. Winners could receive up to $3,000 in prize money.

From now until March 1, students are encouraged to showcase their artistic talents and traffic safety knowledge, involving three areas — pedestrian, child passenger and novice driver safety.

“Motor vehicle-related crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-6 and 8-14,” said Cathleen Lewis, director of public affairs for the Florham Park-based AAA New Jersey Automobile Club. “AAA remains committed to educating the public in an effort to prevent unnecessary tragedies."

Gordon's poster was selected from thousands of entries in the nationwide competition. Said Gordon, "I had an idea for a digitally-enhanced submission and thought it would be a great way to utilize the skills I acquired while taking Ms. Malhotra's Computer Graphics course in my sophomore year at Columbia High School."

Cindy Malhotra, Columbia's computer graphics teacher, said Gordon approached her abou the poster contest, asking for her assistance and sponsorship. "I was impressed with her idea and that she wanted to commit the time during her lunch and after school to work on it."

Gordon used words super-imposed on the asphalt, as a teen (with eyes reflected in the rearview mirror) drives on the wrong side of the road with drug paraphernalia clearly visible on the dashboard. "Don't Take the High Road" read the text on the roadway.

"I am very proud of Emma." said Malhotra. "She came up with a great concept, developed a plan and showed a level of commitment that paid off." Malhotra was also so pleased that Gordon used the knowledge and skills acquired in her computer graphics course to help win the award.

Students in grades K-8 may submit an original hand-drawn poster, while students in grades 9-12 may submit a hand-drawn poster, a graphic art/digitally enhanced design or a one- to two-minute video public service announcement.

Grade categories and themes for the poster contest are broken down as follows:

• KINDERGARTEN – Pedestrian & Child Passenger Safety

• PRIMARY (Grades 1 & 2) – Pedestrian & Child Passenger Safety

• ELEMENTARY (Grades 3–5)  – Getting to School Safely

• JUNIOR HIGH (Grades 6–8) – How to Be a Good Passenger

• SENIOR HIGH (Grades 9–12) – Safe Teen Driving

Submissions will be judged at the state level on the relationship of the entry design to proper traffic safety practices, originality, creativity and execution, visual impact and relevance of the safety slogan.

Entries in each grade category will compete for a shot at more than $3,000 in prize money.

Additionally, each teacher whose student wins first place will receive $50 in prize money.

The winning posters will be featured on the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club’s website at aaa.com/postercontest.

In Essex County, the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club is located in West Orange at 495 Prospect Ave. or by calling (973) 325-0024.