Tennessee Arbor Day Poster Contest Winners Announced

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Taylor Ratliff, a fifth-grader at New Union Elementary School in Coffee County was recently named state winner in the 2005 Tennessee Arbor Day Poster Contest. Second place honors went to Michelle Garrett, a student at Cedar Bluff Intermediate School in Knoxville. Maria Long, a student at Blountville Elementary School in Sullivan County was named third place winner in the annual contest open to all Tennessee fifth-graders.

“The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is a great way to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture and natural resources through education,” said state Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens. “I extend my congratulations to our winners and to all the fifth graders who invested their time and talent in recognizing the value of trees in our environment.”

Ratliff’s poster was selected for its interpretation of the contest theme “Trees are terrific…in all Shapes and Sizes.” His poster has been sent to the National Arbor Day Foundation in Nebraska to compete in the national contest. The national winner will be announced at the National Arbor Day Awards Ceremony later this spring.

All three state winners will receive a plaque, a savings bond, two passes to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, a certificate from the National Arbor Day Foundation, a tote bag, t-shirt and hat from Toyota, the national sponsor of the poster contest. A special tree planting ceremony will also be held at New Union Elementary School to honor Ratliff.

Approximately 860 fifth-grade students from across Tennessee participated in this year’s poster contest, which is conducted annually by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry. The contest is designed to help promote the importance of Arbor Day, tree planting and conservation of our natural resources. The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts co-sponsored this year’s state contest.

For more information about the poster contest or Arbor Day activities, contact the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry at (615) 837-5436. This year’s winning posters can be viewed online at www.tennessee.gov/agriculture/forestry, then click the “Arbor Day” link.