County Winners

New Castle County

Kent County

Kindergarten
Sara Carney
Clayton Elementary

Grade 1 and 2
Eliana Oberdick
W.B. Simpson Elementary

Grade 3 and 4
Katelyn Bredesen
Allen Frear Elementary

Grade 5
Ziad Rasamny
Allen Frear Elementary

Sussex County

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

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.

The Delaware Forest Service’s Arbor Day School Poster Contest is now accepting entries from Delaware students in grades K to 5 in all private, public, charter, and home schools. Winners will be selected from each county in the following grade categories: K, 1-2, 3-4, and 5. Awards will be presented at the State Arbor Day Ceremony with Governor John Carney. Winners also receive a tree-themed book, a poster reproduction on fine art canvas, and a free tree planting ceremony at their school.  The Delaware Forest Service also distributes free pine seedlings to participating classes on a first-come, first-served basis.

The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is designed to teach students about forests and forest resources. Participating in the contest is a way to learn more about the role of trees in our state and their direct impact on the health and well-being of Delaware residents.

This year’s theme – “Trees Are Terrific…in Cities and Towns!” – is designed to increase knowledge about the benefits of trees in our communities. While many people plant trees to provide fruit, beauty, or shade, the benefits of trees – especially in cities and towns – go far beyond those things. Trees are invaluable assets that provide numerous social, environmental and economic benefits such as lower energy costs, cleaner air and water, and increased property values.

2019 THEME
“Trees are Terrific…in Cities and Towns!”

CRITERIA
Posters will be judged on originality, use of theme, neatness, and artistic expression.

DEADLINES
Deadline to register: March 15, 2019
Deadline to submit posters: March 29, 2019

Rules and guidelines for teachers: 2019 Poster Guidelines and Rules

To register and request seedlings: 2019 Poster Contest Registration Link

Check out the previous year’s winners:

• View 2018 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2017 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2016 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2015 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2014 Arbor Day Contest Winners

For more information, email: Ashley Melvin

Amelia Meyer, a fifth-grader at the Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville, won the Delaware Forest Service’s 2018 Arbor Day School Poster Contest, beating entries from more than 3,200 students in 43 classes. “Trees Are Terrific…and Perfect for Pollinators!” was the theme chosen to highlight the important role of trees in the health of pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The annual contest is open to grade K to 5 students in all Delaware public, private, charter, and home schools. Winners were selected from each county in the following grades: K, 1-2, 3-4, and 5. Posters were evaluated on originality, use of theme, neatness, and artistic expression.

View the complete 2018 Arbor Day School Poster Contest winners (with links to high-resolution images).

2018 Arbor Day Poster Contest Winners

New Castle County Winners

Kindergarten – Jade Munoz-Martinez – Academia Antonia Alonso, Wilmington
Grades 1-2 – Makalani Collins – Jennie Smith Elementary, New Castle
Grades 3-4 – Madison Butts – Heritage Elementary, Wilmington
Grade 5 – Chase Puszkarczuk – Heritage Elementary, Wilmington

Kent County Winners

Kindergarten – Audriana Friday – Mcilvaine Early Childhood Center, Magnolia
Grades 1-2 – MaKenna Barclay – Nellie Stokes Elementary, Dover
Grades 3-4 – Gianni Coblentz – Hartly Elementary, Hartly
Grade 5 – Jacob Simons – WB Simpson Elementary, Wyoming

Sussex County Winners

Kindergarten – Michael Foracre – Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary, Laurel
Grades 1-2 – Yojana Garcia-Lopez – Mispillion Elementary, Milford
Grades 3-4 – Samantha Geidel – Southern Delaware School of the Arts, Selbyville
Grade 5 – Amelia Meyer – Southern Delaware School of the Arts, Selbyville

Winners will receive their awards from Delaware Governor John Carney at the Delaware Forest Service’s Arbor Day Ceremony in Dover on May 4, 2018. Each winner receives a tree-themed book and a print reproduction of their poster on fine art canvas. Thanks to corporate sponsor Delmarva Power, a free tree planting ceremony will also be held at each winner’s school. In addition, every participating classroom receives free pine seedlings for all participants. Once again this year, students from the Middletown High School FFA Chapter and senior volunteers from the Modern Maturity Center in Dover are wrapping thousands of seedlings to distribute to schoolchildren statewide.

Check out the previous year’s winners:

• View 2017 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2016 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2015 Arbor Day Contest Winners
• View 2014 Arbor Day Contest Winners

For more information, email: Ashley Melvin, Delaware Forest Service Education Coordinator

DOVER– The Delaware Forest Service is now accepting entries for its annual Arbor Day Poster Contest for grades K to 5—open to all public, private, and home school students. For the first time, this year’s theme is “Trees are Terrific…and Perfect for Pollinators!” The contest can teach students about the important role of trees in the well-being of both people and pollinators, such as bees.

In Delaware, Arbor Day is designated as the last Friday in April (April 27, 2018). Arbor Day was started in Nebraska in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton as an occasion to both celebrate and encourage the planting of trees.

• • 2018 Perfect for Pollinators (PDF)
  • 2018 Arbor Day Poster Contest rules (PDF)
  • Teacher Resources (Google Drive) at https://goo.gl/DcmMnj