THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 20, 1995 TAG: 9501190146
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
WHEN A COMMITTEE of Hillhaven Holmes Health Care staff and residents met to judge their Christmas poster and essay contest, they were in for a surprise.
Responding to the theme ``If I were Santa, I would give the world . . . ,'' almost all of the youngsters had caring, unselfish wishes.
``Their (answers) were so unselfish and different from what we judge our young people by today,'' said contest judge Vicky Thomas, business office manger for Hillhaven Holmes.
Typical of the feelings were those of Malibu Elementary School fifth-grader Joey Roenker, who took first place in the poster contest.
``If I were Santa, I'd give the world love,'' was the theme of his poster, which featured a drawing of Santa and his reindeer circling a sleeping earth, all contained within a giant heart.
``I don't really want any killing, I want everybody to like each other,'' he explained solemnly.
His mother, Karen, echoed Thomas' amazement at the depth of feeling expressed by the youngsters who entered the contest.
``When we went to Hillhaven for the awards ceremony,' Karen Roenker said, ``they had all the winning posters hung around the room and they read all the (winning) essays. I couldn't believe how much (feeling) came from inside.''
As a family the Roenkers feel particularly blessed. Karen, a nurse in the heart catheterization lab at Virginia Beach General Hospital, and her husband, Joe, an insurance agent with Nationwide, have three healthy, happy youngsters. In addition to Joey, there are Jennifer, a 15-year-old sophomore at Princess Anne, and Kevin, 10, a year behind Joey at Malibu.
The family is a rarity in Virginia Beach. ``They're going to the same schools I went to,'' said Karen, who attended Malibu the first year it opened.
Joe Roenker came from farther away, but not by much. ``My parents raised seven of us kids in Aragona,'' he said.
Drawing isn't Joey's only interest, but art is a part of his daily life.
``I practice all the time, especially when I'm bored,'' said Joey, who is active in sports and is SCA president at Malibu.
He decided to enter the contest the second he heard about it from Malibu reading resource teacher Kathleen Deck.
``I knew exactly what I was going to draw,'' Joey said. ``I came right home and started practicing.''
All together his poster took about four days to create.
As for the future, Joey's still a bit undecided. ``I'd like to be a running back,'' he said, ``or a doctor or,'' he added, eyeing his father, ``an insurance man.''
The poster and essay contest was sponsored by the Hillhaven Holmes Corporation as part of the Ho Ho Hotline, a nationwide phone-in program in which nursing center residents play Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus in response to children's calls. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
Malibu Elementary fifth-grader Joey Roenker took first place in the
Hillhaven Holmes poster contest with a drawing of Santa and his
reindeer circling a sleeping earth, all contained within a giant
heart.
Thomas Gilreath, Tallwood High, won the essay contest.
LOCAL WINNERS
POSTER CONTEST
First place: Joey Roenker, Malibu Elementary, fifth grade
Second place: Tiffany Weathers, Malibu, third grade
Third place: Jason Russell, Malibu, fourth grade
Runners-up: Kelly Carr and Jacquelynn Russell of Malibu; Tiffany
Cullen of Lynnhaven
ESSAY CONTEST
First place: Thomas Gilreath, Tallwood High
Second place: Joyce Magpantay, Tallwood High
Third place: Arnold Santos, Tallwood High
by CNB