Tomas Figueroa, a fifth-grader at Edgewood Elementary, has been named the state winner in the 2008 National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest. His colorful drawing of an American flag decorated with the faces of missing children will now compete at the national level. The U.S. Department of Justice sponsors the poster contest.
Tomas, his parents and art teacher Shannon Benton will attend the Texas Center for the Missing’s seventh annual Champagne Brunch and Silent Auction, which will be held April 27. The Texas Center for the Missing operates the Houston Regional Amber Alert. The center supports families and volunteers searching for missing children or endangered adults.
Posters in the contest for fifth-graders had to reflect the theme “Bringing Our Missing Children Home.” The national student winner will be announced in early May. The winner and his or her family will travel to Washington, D.C., to observe National Missing Children’s Day on May 25. The top national poster will also be displayed in federal offices and will appear in Department of Justice publications and web sites.
One of 10 children, Tomas Figueroa has an exceptional talent for art, teacher Shannon Benton said. Edgewood Elementary fifth-graders Kelly and Brittany Lopez finished second and third overall in the state contest. The SBISD elementary campus has produced several recognized works this year, including student works displayed at Houston City Hall and the Texas State Capitol.