Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 25, 1990                   TAG: 9005240288
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

'NICE, MAD' DRAWINGS MAKE TWINS WINNERS IN MENTAL HEALTH CONTEST

The same goes for being mad.

When twin sisters Samantha and Julie Kim put those words into pictures, they ended by taking both first and second places in the Young Artist contest sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County.

This month's contest commemorates Mental Health Month and coincides with this year's focus on children.

Contestants were asked to depict the theme, "Nice People Get Mad Sometimes."

The 11-year-old fifth graders, who attend Gilbert Linkous Elementary, are avid gymnasts, tutor Koreans in English and are engrossed with art.

Samantha, who hopes to have a career in helping animals, took first place with her pencil drawing, a collage that shows two sides of a young woman: one being happy, the other being angry.

"She has a bold style and likes bright colors," said her mother, Deirdre, who recently completed graduate studies in architecture at Virginia Tech. "She likes fashion design, too."

Both parents have encouraged the twins in art, telling them to get involved in as many projects as they could.

Julie, who also enjoys photography, reading and writing, in addition to gymnastics and tutoring, took second place with her crayon drawing of two young women - one angelic, the other ruffled and angry.

"We're trying to promote awareness of mental health and mental health issues in young people," said Mary Hamlin, association spokeswoman.

"The younger we start to talk about our feelings and how to control them, the better it will be later on for the children," she said.

Julie said she entered the contest because she's interested in mental health and loves to compete. "And I love to work with anything in art."

Samantha, who was surprised at winning first place, had other reasons for entering.

"I was bored and needed something to do," she said.

Both winners received gift certificates from Mish-Mish in Blacksburg.