A record number of Pea Ridge elementary school-aged artists won awards in the annual state-wide contest sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Wildlife and Conservation. The award ceremony will be May 6 in Little Rock.
Ten students won awards with at least one winner in each grade, kindergarten through fifth grade. The 10 awards were the most ever by one school in the annual event that attracted more than 1,000 entries last year. When hearing of the news, Sarah Stokes, principal of Pea Ridge Intermediate School, said: "Great job! I'm always excited we always have so many kids who win."
Kindergartener Caitlyn Hume was a first place winner in her division with an oil pastel rendering of a tree frog. Addison Latham's crayon and tempera drawing of a buffalo finished in third, also in the kindergarten division.
First-grader Collin Little was a second place winner with his oil pastel of a songbird, with fellow second-grader Sophia LaPlant gathering a fourth place honor with her tempera painting of wild turkeys. Second-grader Avery Moore drew a hawk with oil pastel and tempera to take third place honors with third-grader Brady Spivey right behind her in fourth place with his tempera painting of a hungry squirrel.
Third-grader Ava Clark was the lone winner in that classification with her third place oil pastel of a baby alligator. Halie Mueller drew a salamander with oil pastel for a third place award in the fourth-grade division, just ahead of Seth Foster's fourth place tempera painting of a frog. Fifth-grader Evan Anderson rounded out the local winners with a third place finish with his oil pastel of a pair of owls.
First place winners will receive $100, with second places earning $50, third places $25, and fourth place taking home $15. In addition, all winners will have their art displayed in the 2017 State of Arkansas Conservation Calendar.
The student art will go on public display at the Stephens Nature Center in downtown Little Rock from May 6 through June 3. From there it will travel to Jonesboro where it will be exhibited at the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center from June 5 to July 5. The Arkansas River Valley Nature Center in Forth Smith will be the next host of the exhibit, showing the art from July 6 through July 29. The final public showing will be held at the Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff from July 30 through Aug. 26.
Community on 03/30/2016