WARREN - As part of American Home Week, local schoolchildren put their artistic talents to work making posters for the annual poster contest sponsored by the Warren Area Board of Realtors.

Stephen Ferrebee and Cindy Wilcox, Realtors and co-chairs of the poster and essay contest, said more than 100 posters from elementary children and more than 40 essays from middle and high school students were submitted.

American Home Week turns 57 in 2009 and is being celebrated this week. Local children were presented awards at a gathering held Tuesday at DiLucia's Banquet Center.

Ferrebee said the Board of Realtors will feature some of the poster entries in a calendar planned for 2010.

''We appreciate the time the students took to make their posters and submit them for the contest,'' he said.

In addition to honoring children, a local art teacher, Nina Basciano, was presented an award for having the most student entries. She is an art teacher at Notre Dame School Campus, which includes St. Pius, John F. Kennedy and Blessed Sacrament.

Winners were:

-Roclynn Ford, sixth grade, Mineral Ridge, grand prize winner;

- First and second grades, Christian Cunningham, first place, and Ian Cunningham, second place, both students at Bazetta Elementary School;

-Third and fourth grades, Vivian Keller, first place, and Elizabeth McCue, second place, both students at St. Pius School;

- Fifth and sixth grades, Meredith Brugler of St. Pius, first place, and Alexis Cunningham of Cortland Elementary, second place;

- Calendar winners were Autumn Gibonney of Bonham Elementary School in Niles, Elizabeth Philibin and Jessica Crish, both from Blessed Sacrament School in Warren, and Elizabeth Kellar and Richard Loges, both of St. Pius X School in Warren.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com