Safety First: Northport FD Honors Winners of Annual Poster Contest

In an event designed to teach children and parents about fire prevention and honor the wonderful posters created by students from the Ocean Avenue and Norwood Avenue Schools, Lauren Lavoie was rewarded the night's top award: a $50 check and plaque for her work.

Lauren is a member of the Ocean Avenue School fourth grade class.  "There were so many great posters the students submitted in the contest," said  Jim Mahoney of the Northport Fire Department. "We had 212 students participate in this contest. The great part of this is the children and the adults learn about how to prevent and react to a fire."

The annual event, held at the Northport Fire Department facility on Main Street, began with a demonstration by the firefighters about how to put out a grease fire. A bucket of plain water won't do the trick.  However, a fire extinguisher, one that can be purchased at a hardware store, is the best method to save a kitchen.

The volunteer firefighters also instructed everyone in the outside audience what to do in case a house catches fire. The children and parents were shown how to avoid the black smoke by crawling out of the house.

Following the demo, the crowd headed upstairs to the meeting room for the award ceremonies. Some of the children were given certificates for honorable mention, others won a plaque and bear. One overall winner was chosen from each of the two schools. Lavoie claimed the top prize for having the best message, as chosen by the firefighters of Northport.

Below is a list of everyone who was honored:

Ocean Avenue School

• Grade One Winner: Quinn O'Brien
• Honorable Mention: Noah Armstrong, William Koran, Samuel Hoerning, and Devon Gilmore
• Grade Two Winner: Chloe Martinetti
• Honorable Mention: Leela Desai, Owen McGreevy, and Tristan Triolo
• Grade Three Winner: Kate Fligstein
• Honorable Mention: Riley Gayer and Jackson Armstrong
• Grade Four Winner: Lauren Lavoie
• Honorable Mention: Hanna Triolo, Gracie Waldhauer, Crystal Chancey, and Maya Desai
• Grade Five Winner: Nicole Orella
• Honorable Mention: Justin Fligstein, Gillian Zimmerman,  Nina McGahan, and Mary Barton

Best of the School: Lauren Lavoie

Norwood Avenue School

• Grade One Winner: Brendan Connolly
• Honorable Mention: Ava Lynch, Adam Lam, Ava Cleere, and Timothy Kirchner
• Grade Two Winner: Erin Navas
• Honorable Mention: Daniel Jacobsen, Kyle Hawkins, Elias Giuliano, and McKenzie Schurart
• Grade Three Winner: Daniel LaFaber
• Honorable Mention: Chris Neumann, Justine Ciesinski, Kate Dignon, and Michael Cappadano
• Grade Four Winner: Gerard Polli
• Honorable Mention: Julianna Cleere, Peter Esteve, Christina Faber, and Sydney Flem
• Grade Five Winner: Julia Rizzuto
• Honorable Mention: Julianne Starzce, Erica Lynch, Nicolette Gucciardo, and Cassandra Blower

Best of the School: Erin Navas

Winning School For Most Participation: Norwood Avenue School (125 Posters).