Courtesy photo

Chase County Schools has the winners of a contest about designing the best poster, hosted by the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department. The rules are to simply design, draw, and color in a poster that best illustrates the many harmful effects of prolonged exposure to radon gas. For those unaware, (including the writer) radon is a gas that is created from the decay of the miniscule amounts of uranium naturally found in the rocks and soil. Eventually, this gas can collect in our houses and buildings, which is a leading cause of lung cancer. This can be prevented with proper under-floor ventilation, having walls and floors properly sealed, along with just proper ventilation. Contestants are chosen from the schools of the nine counties overseen by the department: Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Perkins and Red Willow. There were five students from Chase County who placed in the event, pictured from left, Alyssa Weiss, Emerson Beemer, Jackeline Vizcaino Nevarez, Jaretssi Flores Ortega and Camilla Kunnemann. Alyssa Weiss and Emerson Beemer placed first and second, respectively, for the group of 11-12 years old. Jackeline Vizcaino Nevarez and Camilla Kunnemann were in the same age group, but tied for third place. The only finalist for 9-10 years old was Jaretssi Flores Ortega in second place. No finalists were chosen for the last group of 13-14 years old.