A St. Thomas seven-year-old has taken first honors in the Florida/USVI Poison Center’s regional poison control poster competition.
Joshua Schulterbrandt’s beguiling art work took first prize in the eight-and-under category. His mother, Tanya Schulterbrandt, says, "Joshua likes to draw, but this is the first time he has done anything like this."
Joshua has been home-schooled since kindergarten by his mother, who heard about the competition while seeking themes for a poster for his school art class.
The seven-year-old’s rather whimsical piece of art, which has a serious theme, "Poisonings Span A Lifetime," depicts a grassy hill filled with hazards such as spiders and mushrooms.
Joshua and his family attended the awards ceremony March 16 in Jacksonville, Fla., at the Shands Hospital, where he was awarded two prizes – one scholastic, and one fun – a scientific calculator donated by Doctor’s Choice Pharmacy and an authentic NFL game football autographed by Mike Sims-Walker, courtesy of the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation.
Joshua was the only entrant from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Next, Joshua’s poster will hit the big time. His artwork will be submitted in the National Poison Prevention Week Council competition in Washington, D.C., for judging at the national level. The poster will compete against possible entries from all 60 poison centers. The winners will be announced by July 1.
The winning posters, in addition to posters being awarded an Honorable Mention, can be viewed on the Poison Center’s Website at www.fpicjax.org (“News” section).