PIERRE, S.D. — Sienna Vera Weiman, a fifth-grade student at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Yankton, is the winner of the 2020 South Dakota Arbor Day Poster Contest. Sienna’s poster was chosen out of 567 entries from fifth graders all over the state.
Weiman’s first place poster was selected for its interpretation of the contest theme “Trees Are Terrific…In Cities and Towns!.” Weiman will receive a $125 cash prize and a certificate of achievement, and her poster will be featured on the division’s poster contest promotional flyer.
Weiman’s teacher, Barb Geigle, will receive $175 for the purchase of educational supplies.
Abigail Ingham of Madison Elementary School in Madison was selected as the second-place winner. Ingham receives a $100 cash prize and a certificate of achievement. The third-place winner, Joclyn Vargason of Edmunds Central School in Roscoe, will receive a certificate and a $75 cash prize.
The top twelve artists’ posters will also be featured in the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest Calendar.
The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is designed to help promote the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting and is open to all South Dakota fifth graders. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the poster contest provided children the opportunity to stay busy and learn about the importance of trees in their communities. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Resource Conservation & Forestry Division (RCF), the South Dakota Society of American Foresters, Aspen Arboriculture Solutions, LLC and the South Dakota Arborists Association sponsor the state contest.
For more information on Arbor Day, please contact Rachel Ormseth with RCF at 605.773.3594 or Rachel.ormseth@state.sd.us. View the winning posters here.
Agriculture is a major contributor to South Dakota’s economy, generating $32.5 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 132,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s mission is to promote, protect, and preserve South Dakota agriculture for today and tomorrow. Visit us online at sdda.sd.gov or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
— South Dakota Department of Agriculture
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