Students and educators from Lincoln County schools participated in the Annual Conservation Contest hosted by the Lincoln County Conservation Program. The Conservation Contest encourages students to submit posters that illustrate the conservation theme of the year. For 2022, the Conservation Contest theme is “Healthy Soil: Healthy Life.”
Soil is often the foundation for not only our natural world, but also our modern day society. Healthy soil has impacts on growing food sources, maintaining healthy forests, prairies, and other habitats, promoting high water quality, and so much more. Because of this, a student’s creativity could drift in countless ways to display the 2022 theme. And without a doubt, all students that participated provided unique posters that helped promote the importance of conservation.
The Conservation Contest is an excellent opportunity for students to expand their appreciation for the environment, conservation, and become involved with numerous Wisconsin Academic Standards. Educators that have been involved with the contest found this connection to standards helpful, and have enjoyed the opportunity to promote conservation within the classroom. Aubrey Nycz, First Grade Teacher at Tomahawk Elementary said: “As someone that cares about conservation personally, it was great to see that the kids enjoyed this contest at a young age. They were able to learn about soil health and had fun while doing so!”
The Conservation Contest has several stages of competition, and winners from each stage advance to the next. The contest begins at the Local level (Lincoln County) and then proceeds to an Area Contest which includes nine counties, a State Contest, and even a National Contest.
Local competition
At the Local level (Lincoln County), in the K-1 category, three students in Ms. Nycz’s first grade class at Tomahawk Elementary School – Shelby Vega, Iona Oates, and Emily Lucas – won first, second, and third places respectively.
Lily Boquist, a student in Mr. Klapperich’s second grade class at Kate Goodrich Elementary, won first place in the grades 2-3 category.
A Senior at Merrill High School, Mel Rampart, won first place in the grades 10-12 category, and Spencer Smith, a Junior at Merrill High School won second place in that category. Both are students in Ms. Wagenaar’s Art class.
Area competition
Winners from Lincoln County’s Local Contest advanced to the Area Contest which was held on Jan. 28, 2022. There was some tough competition considering that posters were submitted from nine other counties in Northcentral Wisconsin and, amazingly, all Lincoln County students that advanced placed in the Area Contest. Congrats to our Lincoln County winners!
Shelby Vega, of Tomahawk Elementary, won first place in the K-1 Division. Since she won first place in this division, her poster will now move on to the State competition this March with the potential to move on to the National competition.
Liliana Boquist, of Kate Goodrich Elementary, won third place in the grades 2-3 Division, and Mel Rampart, of Merrill High School, won second place in the grades 10-12 Division.
For more information about the Annual Conservation Contest, contact Tom Boisvert, Conservation Program Manager, at 715.539.1054.