Tinker Elementary students participate in poster contest Published Nov. 1, 2013 By Brandice J. O'Brien Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Tinker Elementary School students are keeping up with the times. One-hundred forty students recently participated in the 2013 Energy Action Month Tinker Elementary School Energy Poster Contest sponsored by the Tinker Energy Team. First, second and third-place winners were chosen in two categories. Winners will be announced and awarded blue ribbons on Nov. 1 at Tinker Elementary. "I thought the response was exceptional, far more than what I expected," said Gary McCracken, 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate Environmental Assets chief and contest judge. "The posters were outstanding and showed their creativity and awareness of the importance of saving energy." The contest kicked off Sept. 16 and closed Oct. 4. Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade student participants were asked to develop a poster on an 11-inch by 17-inch piece of paper. They were allowed to use whatever medium they preferred. "In elementary school, students don't have a whole lot of background knowledge on energy conservation, unless they have also been taught energy conservation at home. Children have to be taught to be aware of being wasteful, and to be trained to make better choices," said Wendy Eaton, Tinker Elementary principal. "The students were able to take what they learned and apply their own creativity to create posters advertising energy conservation. I was impressed with the final result." Five volunteer judges from the Tinker Energy Team and around the base assessed the posters based on creativity, originality, colorfulness and the overall message. "It's amazing how simple minds work," said Aruna Abhayagoonaward-hana, 72nd ABW/CE mechanical engineer and judge. "They are not brainwashed with ideas; they have their own. Then, they convey them to adults using a picture and the creativity; fresh new ideas that we can develop into new concepts. "Do not underestimate the power of the little minds. They understand and pay attention to energy concepts more than some grownups, he said. "Energy savings start with your family. Your family can impact your community. A community can impact a country. Countries can impact the world." 1st Lt. Scott Allison, 76th Commodities Maintenance Group executive officer and judge, said several posters caught his attention and he applauds the students for their creativity and understanding the message. "We all liked the one titled 'Pling the Plug.' We all thought the name was catchy, whether or not it was meant to be," he said. "As an electrical engineer, I am an advocate for making our energy usage more efficient. I think that learning to be more efficient, whether that be through solar power, wind power, etc., is the only way to go. We have to be able to 'keep up with the times' and that means looking for better way to make and conserve energy." See next week's issue for the list of winners.