April 18, 2007

As a part of this year's Earth Day Celebration being held by the Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday, April 19, Director Steven E. Chester will be honoring the winners of the 2007 Earth Day poster contest. The contest was created to promote environmental awareness by giving students from Kindergarten through 5th grade an opportunity to design and create a poster celebrating an Earth Day theme.

This year, more than 1,300 posters were submitted from all over Michigan; 1st place and 2nd place winners were selected, representing each of the six grade levels.

"We are inspired by the number of students who participated in the contest this year," said Director Chester. "The enthusiasm and creativity of these students serve as an example of why we must protect our great natural resources for their enjoyment, and for their children's enjoyment."

The posters will be decorating the walls of Constitution Hall during the Earth Day celebrations.

The winners are:

Kindergarten
1st Place: Hannah O'Farrell, St. Martha School, Okemos
2nd Place: Alayna Bowman, St. Jude School, Grand Rapids

1st Grade
1st Place: Quinn Franchino, Deerfield Elementary, Novi
2nd Place: Nathan Thomas, Orchard Primary School, Almont

2nd Grade
1st Place: Carlen Rye, Bea McDonald Elementary, Marlette
2nd Place: Eric Chen, Edgewood Public Montessori, Okemos

3rd Grade
1st Place: Benten Cousineau, Edgewood Public Montessori, Okemos
2nd Place: Payton McCall Moore St. John's Catholic School, Monroe

4th Grade
1st Place: PJ Duerksen Edgewood Public Montessori, Okemos
2nd Place: Devon Bruck St. Patrick's Elementary School, Carleton

5th Grade
1st Place: Hikari Woodberry Foreign Language Immersion Cultural
                Studies School, Detroit
2nd Place: Zachary Meyer Upland Hills School, Oxford

For more information on the Earth Day Poster Contest, and to view the winning posters, visit the DEQ's Web site at: www.michigan.gov/deq, click on Environmental Education, and Earth Day.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised April 18, 2007 by Pat Watson