Artwork by two DeKalb County students for the statewide “Shoo Flu, Shoo” art contest will grace the Georgia Department of Community Health’s 2010 calendar promoting flu prevention.

The entries by Felicia Nelson, a Lithonia Middle School eighth-grader, and Jediael Fraser, a fifth-grader from Evansdale Elementary, made the final 12 from nearly 1,500 contest entries from kindergarten to eighth-grade students.

Each month of the calendar will feature a drawing depicting steps to prevent the spread of the flu. Online voting ended Dec. 6 on the top 30 entries selected by a panel of judges.

Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the state Department of Community Health, applauded all the participating schools and students.

“I am amazed by the talent and creativity of Georgia’s youth and even more encouraged by their knowledge of flu prevention,” she said.

The contest was sponsored by the department’s Roll Up Your Sleeve campaign, which highlights the need for Georgians in high-risk categories to get a seasonal flu and/or novel H1N1 vaccination and offers steps to take to prevent the spread of the flu viruses.

The calendars will be circulated statewide.