Ellie Merrick, a fifth-grader at Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville, won the 2019 Arbor Day School Poster Contest.
Almost 100 years before Earth Day, Arbor Day was established on April 10, 1872 by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It is believed more than one million trees were planted on the first Arbor Day. In Delaware, Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Friday in April, which falls on April 26, 2019. This year, the Delaware Forest Service will help Dover celebrate its 30th Anniversary as a Tree City USA by planting more than 30 trees at parks and streets throughout the city.
DOVER, Del. — Ellie Merrick, a 5th-grader at Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville, has been named the State Winner of the Delaware Forest Service’s 2019 Arbor Day Poster Contest. This year’s theme – “Trees Are Terrific…in Cities and Towns!” – was chosen to highlight the benefits of trees in our communities .The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is open to Delaware students in grades K-5 in all public, private, charter, and home schools. Winners receive a tree-themed book, a free tree planting ceremony at their school (courtesy of sponsor Delmarva Power) and an invitation for them and their families to attend the State Arbor Day Ceremony with Governor Carney in Dover on April 26.
Winners were selected by a panel of judges for each county (New Castle, Kent, Sussex) in the following grade categories: kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-4, and grade 5. Posters were judged on originality, use of theme, neatness, and artistic expression. The Arbor Day Poster Contest is designed to teach students about the role of trees and their direct impact on the health and well-being of Delaware residents.
View the complete gallery of 2019 Delaware Arbor Day Poster Contest Winners.
2019 Delaware Arbor Day Poster Contest Winners
New Castle | |
Kindergarten | Avery Thomas — Cedar Lane Early Childhood Ctr., Middletown |
Grades 1-2 | Lydia Sperati — Jennie Smith Elementary, Newark |
Grades 3-4 | Patricia Gomes — All Saints Catholic School, Wilmington |
Grade 5 | Jayden Fuller — Brandywine Springs Elementary, Wilmington |
Kent | |
Kindergarten | Abigail Carter — McIlvaine Early Childhood Ctr., Magnolia |
Grades 1-2 | Bella Cooper — Allen Frear Elementary, Camden |
Grades 3-4 | Sarah Armstrong — Allen Frear Elementary, Camden |
Grade 5 | Sophia Yuckel — Allen Frear Elementary, Camden |
Sussex | |
Kindergarten | Loana Marquez Mendez — H.O. Brittingham Elem., Milton |
Grades 1-2 | Zoe Bontrager-Thomas — Mispillion Elementary, Milford |
Grades 3-4 | Ava Strong — Southern Delaware School of Arts, Selbyville |
Grade 5 | Ellie Merrick — Southern Delaware School of Arts, Selbyville |
The Delaware Forest Service also distributes free pine seedlings annually to Delaware elementary school children on a first-come, first-served basis. Once again, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) volunteers from the Modern Maturity Center of Dover help to wrap thousands of seedlings to distribute to schoolchildren throughout the First State.
Planned 2019 Arbor Day Events in Delaware
- City of New Castle
Friday April 26 – 10 a.m. – 4th & Chestnut, New Castle
Tree planting and Arbor Day Ceremony - Delaware State University, Dover
Friday April 26 – 11 a.m. – MLK, Jr. Student Center
“Arbor Day Tree Planting on DSU Campus” - City of Lewes – 150th Arbor Day Celebration
Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m. – George H.P. Smith Park – Arbor Day Planting
*** Also: free tree seminar at the Margaret H. Rollins Community Center at 111 Adams Ave. - Town of Ocean View
Friday, April 26, 2019 at 2 p.m. – John West Park
“Town of Ocean View Celebrates Arbor Day” – John West Park, 32 West Ave., Ocean View. Boy Scouts from Troop 281 will assist members of the Ocean View Town Council in planting several trees in the Park. There will be educational engagement opportunities and some fun Arbor Day activities for families until 6 p.m. including a youth art project and family photo-ops sporting Hug-A-Tree and Earth Day themes! The first 50 interested participants will get a free redbud seedling. - Bayside, Fenwick Island
Friday, April 26 – 9:00 a.m. – 31252 Americana Pkwy., Selbyville
Arbor Day Event and Tree Planting - City of Rehoboth Beach
Arbor Day Tree Planting
Monday, April 29 – Rehoboth Beach Elementary School - City of Milford – 16th Annual Bug & Bud Festival
Saturday, May 4 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Walnut St., Front Streets and the Mispillion Riverwalk in historic downtown Milford, Delaware.
Expected to attract more than 9,000 visitors this year, the Bug & Bud Festival serves as a celebration of Arbor Day, the City of Milford’s designation as a Tree City U.S.A. and Milford’s role in the ladybug’s designation as the State Bug of Delaware.