FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2009
Fifth-Graders honored as Washington Arbor Day poster contest winners
Snohomish entry will represent Washington in national competition
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the winners of the annual Arbor Day poster contest.
“The artwork from all the participants is an important reminder of Arbor Day and the many economic and environmental benefits healthy trees provide to our urban areas,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.
Hundreds of Washington State fifth-graders participate in the contest each year. Schools choose a poster from those created by their students for the final state competition. The purpose of the national poster contest is to promote an awareness of trees and the diverse benefits they offer.
Tean-en Chen, a fifth-grader at Chain Lake Elementary School in Snohomish, has been named the Washington State’s 2009 winner of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Arbor Day Poster Contest.
Chen’s poster entry will now compete with entries from 49 other state winners for the national title. Washington residents can vote for the winner of the national contest online at www.arborday.org. Thenational awards will be announced during special ceremonies on National Arbor Day, April 24, at the National Arbor Day Foundation in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Two other entries received special recognition for their posters.
• Min-Jung Jessica Kim of Clyde Hill Elementary School, Bellevue: 2nd place poster winner
• Santana Johnson of Methow Valley Elementary School, Winthrop: 3rd place poster winner
Chen will receive a $100 savings bond, an ice cream party for her class to celebrate her achievement, and Arbor Day patches for her entire class. Kim and Johnson will each receive a $50 savings bond, as well as Arbor Day patches for their classmates.
“We are very pleased that teachers across the state were able to put the educational materials in the contest curriculum to good use,” said DNR Urban Forestry Program Manager Sarah Griffith. “This year’s theme challenged the students to look at what trees do for us in the towns and cities that we live in. The judges faced a difficult task in choosing only one state poster winner among so many excellent entries, and we want to thank everyone for participating.”
This year’s state poster contest was financed by Puget Sound Energy as part of a larger effort to coordinate Arbor Day events around the state. The theme of this year’s national contest was: “Trees are Terrific… in Cities and Towns!”
For more information about the Arbor Day poster contest or community and urban forestry, please contact DNR Urban Forestry Program Manager Sarah Griffith at 1-800-523-8733.
Posters on public display in April
New this year, Arbor Day posters that entered at the state level in Washington will be on display at the Hands-On Children’s Museum in Olympia during April, which was designated Arbor Month by the Washington State Legislature.
Tomorrow, April 8th, is officially Arbor Day in Washington, while National Arbor Day is celebrated April 24th.
Media Contact: Janet Pearce, Community Outreach/Environmental Education, 360-902-1122, and janet.pearce@dnr.wa.gov.
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