CASPER, Wyo. (Nov. 25, 2025) – Banner Wyoming Medical Center on Tuesday celebrated the winners of its ambulance coloring contest, which invited elementary school students across Natrona County to design the next animal-themed ambulance wraps for the hospital's fleet.
The winning entries were selected through a popular vote in October, following a competitive selection process that narrowed about 80 submissions down to 10 finalists.
First place: Paxton Fowles, 11, a fifth-grader at Verda James Elementary School, received the most votes for his illustration of a mule deer.
“It’s so cool,” said Paxton.
Second place: Blakely Park, 9, a third-grader also of Verda James Elementary School, came in second with her creative depiction of a raccoon.
“I’m glad I get to share this with everyone,” said Blakely.
Both winning designs were incorporated into Banner Wyoming Medical Center's new ambulance wraps, joining the hospital's existing herd of animal-themed emergency vehicles, which already feature bears, bison, foxes, mountain lions, wild horses, black-footed ferrets, elk and bighorn sheep.
Banner Wyoming Medical Center honored both winners at a surprise pizza party and ambulance unveiling ceremony on Tuesday at Verda James Elementary School. The new ambulances featuring the students' winning designs were on display at the event.
"We were overwhelmed by the creativity and enthusiasm shown by students throughout Natrona County," said Ben Leonard, Banner’s associate director of ambulance services in Casper. "Paxton's mule deer and Blakely's raccoon perfectly represent Wyoming's diverse wildlife, and we're thrilled to feature their artwork and essays on our new ambulances."
The contest, which ran through Sept. 28, challenged elementary students to draw their favorite Wyoming animal on an ambulance template and write a short essay explaining why their chosen animal should join the ambulance herd. The winning illustrations were transformed into photographic wraps of the depicted animals, with the students' original artwork and essays incorporated into the final ambulance designs.
About Banner Wyoming Medical Center
Banner Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyo., is part of Banner Health and is Wyoming's largest hospital with 249 beds on two campuses. It is one of Wyoming's most comprehensive hospitals and offers a range of inpatient and outpatients services including emergency services, Level II trauma care, heart care, women and infant services, neurological care and more. It is Casper's only full-service, non-profit hospital. Banner Health is one of the largest, secular nonprofit health care systems in the country. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/wymc.
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Ambulance1.jpeg: Paxton Fowles, a fifth-grader at Verda James Elementary School, poses next to his picture of a mule deer on one of the newest Banner Health ambulances in Casper.
Ambulance2.jpeg: Blakely Parke, a third-grader at Verda James Elementary School, poses next to a picture of her raccoon on one of the newest Banner Health ambulances in Casper.
Ambulance3.jpeg: Paxton Fowles and Blakely Parke pose for a photo with the Banner Wyoming Medical Center team in front of Banner’s newest ambulances in Casper. From left: Randy Pickett, associate manager of ambulance services; Ben Leonard, associate director of ambulance services; Paxton Fowles; Blakely Parke; Laura Hind, director of emergency services; and Lance Porter, CEO.
Ambulance4.jpeg: Paxton Fowles and Blakely Parke with the principal of Verda James Elementary School, Jodi Frazier.
Ambulance5.jpeg: Family of the winners of the coloring contest line up to watch their children be awarded during the surprise ceremony at Verda James Elementary School.
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