A West Penn Township Elementary student has been named a winner of the Office of Attorney General's 19th annual Drug-Free Calendar Contest.

Sophia Waltman was among those who won the contest, which asked fifth-grade students from across the state to create original artwork illustrating a drug-free message of their choice.Sophia, who lives in New Ringgold, explained how she came up with the idea for her artwork."I looked at my watch, and I thought that was a good idea," said Sophia, 10. "I've seen it (drugs and alcohol) affect people, and it's not a good thing."Sophia said she was surprised to learn that she was a winner in the contest."I was shocked, and I was excited," she said. "I learned that it's important to stay safe and not do anything bad."Sophia said her mother, Eden Wendlendt, got her interested in art."It's fun; it's just like your imagination goes wild," she said. "I had fun doing the project."Her instructor, Michelle Bittner, said the students participate in the activity each year."We feel it's very valuable to the students," Bittner said. "We had a lot of great entries."Bittner said the project is extremely worthwhile."It's wonderful," she said. "I think it gives the students an outlet to show their artistic abilities, as well as their feelings on the world that they live in, and what they think about those bad things that are out there."For winning, Bittner said Sophia received a certificate, a poster-sized copy of her drawing signed by Attorney General Kathleen Kane, a Lenovo tablet, as well as calendars to share with families and friends.The grand prize winner's artwork is displayed on the calendar's cover, and the other 12 winners' artwork represent each month of the calendar year.Winners were chosen from 928 entries from 231 schools in 53 counties throughout the state.The winners were chosen based on the artists' creativity and ability to illustrate and convey a drug-free message."I believe that education is extremely important in keeping children away from illegal drug use," Kane said. "The Drug-Free Calendar Contest is one of the ways our office works with schools to educate students."Agents and specialists from the Attorney General's office visit schools throughout the year to meet with children of all ages to educate them about the importance of being drug free.The programs feature customized lessons, interactive presentations and powerful messages that speak directly to the audience.To learn more, visit

www.attorneygeneral.gov, or call the Office of Attorney General's Education and Outreach Unit at 800-525-7642.