Middlesex county students win top honors in statewide drug-free art contest

MILLBURN, N.J. — Two Middlesex County fourth graders have been named statewide winners in the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s 2025 “Fun Things to Do Instead of Doing Drugs” contest, the organization announced Thursday.

Adrian Camilo of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Jamesburg and Madison Gunsch of McDivitt Elementary School in Old Bridge were recognized for their standout artwork promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Their submissions were selected from thousands of entries by fourth-grade students across New Jersey.

The contest encourages children to share positive messages about staying drug-free through creative artwork. The winning entries by Adrian and Madison will be featured on bookmarks distributed across the state to raise awareness and promote prevention.

“This contest is a great way to engage students early about the value of making positive choices,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “Adrian and Madison’s artwork shows they understand the importance of living a drug-free life.”

The winners were celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony held Tuesday, May 6. Finalists from throughout New Jersey participated in the event.

Statewide campaign highlights student leadership and prevention

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a nonprofit coalition focused on reducing demand for illicit drugs through public service campaigns and prevention education. The organization is best known for its statewide advertising campaign, which has received over $200 million in donated broadcast time and print space.

Since its founding, the Partnership has earned 230 awards for its communications work and continues to support school-based programs that promote early intervention and substance use education.

Phil Stilton Latest posts

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.