Kids' pool-safety posters on display at Islip Town Hall

More than 200 posters created by area children bringing attention to pool safety were hung in the Islip Town Hall boardroom this week before winners in the contest were recognized at the town board meeting.

Four age categories were organized for the contest. The winners received $25 Target gift cards and included Jaden McKay, 6, of Bohemia; Liliana Downes, 7, of Bohemia; Rebecca Toledo, 12, of Brentwood; and Tayla Straub, 16, of Bay Shore.

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter and her fellow board members applauded the entrants and winners before the town board meeting Tuesday.

This contest was "so important because we know that over 200 children had a conversation with their parents about pool safety and it's all a part of the education process," Carpenter said. "We've had some tragedies, some near-tragedies, over the past months and years and we're trying to do everything we possibly can do to alert people to the importance of . . . making sure that you're doing everything that's necessary."

The poster submissions were collected by the town from the end of July through Aug. 14. One, in particular, Carpenter said, struck a chord with her and many working in Town Hall.

The poster read, "Parents, put your flippin' phones down," Carpenter said, referring to parents that are often preoccupied by their cellphones.

"Sitting by the pool and texting doesn't necessarily qualify for watching your children," Carpenter said. "That's a really good lesson."