[naviga:h3]Video competition open to students [/naviga:h3]

Local middle and high school students are invited to participate in a statewide video competition intended to focus awareness on the growing heroin and opioid epidemic, according to a news release from Sen. Don White, R-41st.

As part of the “Talk to Your State Senator” competition students are encouraged to submit video entries of up to 5 minutes that highlight ways to combat abuse, help those who suffer from addiction and develop laws to address the current crisis.

“The opioid crisis is impacting our local communities in a devastating way,” White said in the release. “Too many lives and families are being tragically impacted by these drugs. We need to get everyone involved in this battle and I encourage our local students to participate in this effort.”

“Talk to Your Senator” is open to Pennsylvania students in grades 6 through 12 and will provide a total of $10,000 in cash prizes to winning entries that focus on ways to prevent drug and alcohol abuse among young people. Prize money will be deposited into a college savings account in the winners’ names. Videos will be judged based on creativity, content and effectiveness of message delivery.

People can find more information on the contest at www.acommonwealthcrisis.com.

Entries must be submitted using the registration form available online at www.acommonwealthcrisis.com/talk-to-your-state-senator/. The deadline for video entries is Dec. 10.

[naviga:h3]Centennial teachers can access books[/naviga:h3]

MARS — Teachers at the Mars Centennial School can now access a collection of diverse books at the school library that can be used for classroom lessons on bullying and respect toward other cultures and people.

The books, purchased through a Mars Planet Foundation Teaching Enrichment Grant, are meant to enhance lessons on diversity, multicultural awareness and anti-bullying.

“Research is showing that students exposed to different cultures and world views are less likely to bully other students,” said Megan Balawejder, sixth grader teacher of history and language arts. “All of them are picture books (and) students can interpret the stories on their own.”

Balawejder and school librarian and media specialist Krista Goodzinski worked together to obtain the grant to purchase books for the school’s new Diversity Awareness Collection.

[naviga:h3]County farm bureau earns recognition[/naviga:h3]

The Butler County Farm Bureau was awarded two designations at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s 67th annual meeting in Hershey.

Out of Pennsylvania’s 54 county Farm Bureaus, the county‘s bureau won a President’s Award for Media Relations & Member Communication, as well as tying with Chester and Delaware counties for Leadership Development in the category of county Farm Bureaus with 401 or more farmer members.

Hundreds of farmers from across the state attended Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s 67th annual meeting at the Hershey Lodge this week, to set policy for the statewide organization on issues affecting farm and rural families, according to a news release.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the state’s largest farm organization with a volunteer membership of more than 62,000 farm and rural families, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania.