Congratulations, Lawrence and Rishitha!

The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, announced the winners of its annual conservation poster contest, which provided students with an opportunity to convey their artistic impressions about soil, water and related natural resources based on the 2021 theme, “Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities.”

The 2021 theme, “Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities,” encouraged people to protect existing trees and plant new ones, as well as to advocate and educate about trees and forest conservation within their communities. As the biggest plants on the planet, trees are a vital resource, as they absorb carbon from the atmosphere, stabilize the soil, filter water, provide healthy habitat for wildlife and offer many other benefits.

Red Clay's Lawrence Xun (North Star Elementary School) and Rishitha Guddapalli (Cab Calloway School of the Arts) took first place in the state for grades K to 1 and grades 7 to 9, respectively.

Posters were judged on good use of color, good attention to detail, an easy to understand conservation message, originality and creativity, along with correct use of the conservation theme. First-place winners received $50 from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts.

Lawrence and Rishitha's award-winning posters have been entered into a national poster contest sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Ladies Auxiliary. National winners will be announced at the NACD conference being held from February 12 to 16 in Orlando.

Each year, the poster contest follows the annual Soil and Water Stewardship Week theme sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts.

The 2022 poster contest will focus on the theme “Healthy Soil, Healthy Life.” Healthy soils are vital to food production and also contribute to clean air and water, plentiful crops and forests, diverse wildlife and beautiful landscapes. The theme encourages people to recognize where food comes from and the farmers who are dedicated to using responsible land-management practices to ensure a sustainable food supply and healthy land and soil for future generations.