The Cumberland County Soil Conservation District (SCD) recently sponsored a Soil and Water Stewardship Poster Contest. The theme for this year’s contest was “Healthy Soils Are Full Of Life”. The theme encourages citizens, schools and communities to think about how important healthy soils are to us and how they affect our lives every day.

Students submitted posters from several elementary schools including Crab Orchard, Homestead and Stone Elementary. Entries were also received from the Christian Academy of the Cumberlands as well as Cumberland County High School. The posters were judged in categories based on grade level. The Cumberland County SCD awarded winners in each category with Certificates of Achievement and cash prizes and the awards were presented at the District’s Annual Awards Dinner.

Winners in the kindergarten-first grade category were all from Crab Orchard Elementary School. Johnathan Hamby placed first and Elijah Musser placed second. In the second-third grade categories, Hannah Ricketts place first with Maddy Young placing second. Hannah and Maddy also attend Crab Orchard Elementary.

Winners in the fourth-sixth grade category were Lucas Smith placing 1^st and Christopher Garrison placing second. Both Lucas and Christopher attend the Christian Academy of the Cumberlands.

In the seventh-ninth grade category, Crab Orchard Elementary student Emily Mills placed first with Stone Elementary student Morgan Edmonds placing second.

Cumberland County High School students won first and second place in the tenth-twelfth grade category. First place went to Alana Hicks with Skyler Eastwood placing second.

The first place posters in each category were entered in the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts (TACD) State Poster Contest and will be judged later in the year.

Special appreciation is extended to SCD Supervisor Sue Wattenbarger and County Mayor Kenneth Carey, Jr. for serving as contest judges. The SCD would also like to express appreciation to all the teachers for promoting soil and water stewardship in their classrooms and encouraging their students to participate in the contest.

All programs and services of the Cumberland County Soil Conservation District are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.

PICTURE IN STORY – Pictured in the front row (from left) Elijah Musser and Johnathan Hamby. Pictured in the second row (from left) Maddy Young, Hannah Ricketts, Christopher Garrison and Lucas Smith. Also pictured in the back row are (from left) Morgan Edmonds, Skyler Eastwood and Alana Hicks. (Not pictured is poster winner Emily Mills)