As a part of this year's Department of Environmental Quality Earth Day Celebration, DEQ Director Steven E. Chester will be honoring the winners of the 2009 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, nearly 2,100 posters were submitted from all over Michigan; 1st place and 2nd place winners were selected, representing each of the six grade levels.

"We look forward each year to the colorful artwork and the positive environmental messages displayed by the students who participate in the contest," said Director Chester. "We are reminded that we need to protect our great natural resources for them to enjoy, and for their children to inherit."

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

The winners are:

Kindergarten
1st Place: Mia Maconochie John F. Kennedy Elementary, Oak Park, MI
2nd Place: Jack Cuncannan St. John Vianney, Wyoming, MI

1st Grade
1st Place: Caroline O'Donahue St. Mary Catholic School, Pinckney, MI
2nd Place: Lucas Santos New Branches School, Grand Rapids, MI

2nd Grade
1st Place: Ariana Leibold Ogemaw Hills Christian School,
                West Branch, MI
2nd Place: Sahil Sudhir Fillmore Elementary, Sterling Heights, MI

3rd Grade
1st Place: Julia Michalik Orion Oaks Elementary, Lake Orion, MI
2nd Place: Jordan Walls Detroit Service Learning Academy, Detroit, MI

4th Grade
1st Place: Neo Pauling Foreign Language Immersion Cultural School,
                Detroit, MI
2nd Place: Grace Kollman Hill Elementary, Troy, MI

5th Grade
1st Place: Jiwoo Choe Hill Elementary, Troy, MI
2nd Place: Madelyn Vonk Lakeshore Elementary, Holland, MI

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 17, 2009 buy Pat Watson