Calendar contest art, poetry winners announced

The art submission from Brigita Sniokaityte, a 6th grade student at Switzerland Point Middle School, and the poetry submission from Taryn Lee, an 8th grader at Fruit Cove Middle School, were selected as the first-place winners in the 2025 Day Without Violence Art and Poetry Calendar Contest.

Second place winners included Oliva Rieder, a 7th grader at R J Murray Middle School, for art, and Fruit Cove Middle School 8th grader Christopher Aspromonti for poetry.

“We appreciate all of the St. Johns County students who entered the contest, and the continued support of the project by the St. Johns County School District,” said Betty Griffin Center CEO Kelly Franklin. “Their involvement in this calendar project helps raise awareness of our prevention work throughout the county.”

St. Johns County School District Fine Arts Specialist Joanne Crowder, local artist Riette Gouws and author Kristin Paul, who serves as the strategic and operations administrator for the St. Joseph Neighborhood Center, judged all the art and poetry submissions.

Those receiving honorable mention include:

Art

• Yiwen Chen, Valley Ridge Academy, grade 8

• Gabriella Moura, Freedom Crossing Academy, grade 7

• Margaret Staffey, Freedom Crossing Academy, grade 7

• Avahlea Rapp, Freedom Crossing Academy, grade 8

• Kylie Coarsey, Beachside High School, grade 9

• Juliette Phillips, Valley Ridge Academy, grade 3

• Dhruthisri  Muthyala, Fruit Cove Middle School, grade 8

• Kayleigh Battista, Fruit Cove Middle School, grade 8

• Meridith Butterfield, Beachside High School, grade 11

• Mattie Boggs, Pine Island Academy, grade 8

• Ayla Faris, Freedom Crossing Academy, grade 8

Poetry

• Lizhayla Hall, Pedro Menendez High School, grade 9

• Mudil Nair, Fruit Cove Middle School, grade 6

• Delaney Beringer, Tocoi Creek High School, grade 11

• Brianna Rozema, Tocoi Creek High School, grade 10

• Hannah Brown, Tocoi Creek High School, grade 9

• Daria Hrachova, Fruit Cove Middle School, grade 8

• Ricky Circelli, Ponte Vedra High School, grade 12

• Daniel Rasner, Fruit Cove Middle School, grade 6

• Emma Soto, Hickory Creek Elementary School, grade 4

• Talia Samoeun, Tocoi Creek High School, grade 11

Contest winners will receive special recognition during a St. Johns County School Board meeting and have their artwork displayed at the Crisp Ellert Art Museum throughout October during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, with 3,000 calendars distributed to classrooms throughout St. Johns County this fall.

The contest was open to all St. Johns County students in kindergarten through 12th grade, whether they attended public school, private school or were homeschooled. The number of entries vary each year, depending on the number of students that participate. First-place winners will receive $50, second-place winners receive $25 and all students receiving honorable mentions receive $10 each.