The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Aditya Mohan says he has two muses to thank for his recent first-place finish in a statewide poster contest: his mom, Kay, and his dog, Fluffy.
Mohan, a 5th Grader at Franklin Park School, took first place in the state in the 40th annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.
The contest is administered by the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons & Human Trafficking Unit. The contest’s annual theme is, “Bringing our missing children home.”
Detectives from the unit visited Franklin Park School on April 20 to present Mohan with his award during a special 5th Grade assembly.
Mohan said his drawing was inspired by his dog, who looks out a window and waits for him to come home from school every day.
“For the children who have gone missing and kidnapped, how must it feel for the pets to not see them for so long?” he said. “And it must be even worse for the parents because their sweet child is missing.”
“Behind every successful boy is his mother,” Mohan said. “My mother is who inspired me as well.”
Mohan’s father, Jagan, said he and his mother encourage Adi, as he’s called, to stay away from devices on weekends, and draw and paint as much as possible.
“But he usually does better when he has something competitive to do,” he said. “So she (Kay) found the contest and she said, why don’t you draw for that.”
“I’m very happy that he won this award,” Kay Mohan said. “I was looking forward to it.”
NJSP Det Sgt. 1st Class Terrence Tennant led the delegation of State Troopers to the school to give Mohan his award.
“We want to congratulate you for winning the National Poster Day contest for the state of New Jersey,” he said. “Your creative artwork was chosen above all other entries throughout the state of New Jersey because it best illustrates the contest’s theme of bringing our missing children home.”
Also representing the State Troopers were Det. Sgt. Erin Micciulla and Det. Jason Maloney.
Mohan’s work is now entered into the national contest, where it will be judged against 49 other posters. The winners will receive their awards in Washington, D.C.
Franklin Park School principal Rebekah Solomon told Mohan that the school “is so proud of you, and we’re proud to acknowledge you here this morning.”
Vice-principal Gay McGee told Mohan that “Each and every day you come to school with such an exuberant personality and such a desire to learn. We know you will make a mark wherever you are.”
