For Immediate Release: April 22, 2003
Contact: Aaron Kiesz at 1-800-228-5254

2003 Arbor Day Essay Contest Winners Selected

(Pierre, SD) --- Jordan Kelly of Wall, Jennifer Orth of Herreid, and Erica Blom of Corsica are the winning essayists selected from the 2,065 entries in the 2003 Arbor Day Essay Contest. Sponsored by South Dakota's conservation districts, McDonald's Restaurants of South Dakota, South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Keep South Dakota Green Association, the contest provides fifth and six grade students the opportunity to write about the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting in South Dakota.

For their efforts, the students win awards and cash prizes in addition to learning more about trees. As first place winner, Kelly received a plaque, $100 in cash, and a McDonald’s lined jacket. Her school, Wall Elementary, will receive $150 for the purchase of supplies or equipment. Orth, the second place winner, received a plaque and $75 cash while Blom received a plaque and $50 for her third place essay. Kelly, Orth and Blom read their essays and received their prizes during a special Earth Day celebration held at Citibank in Sioux Falls on April 22.  All students who entered the contest will receive a McDonald’s dessert certificate and a packet of tree seeds.

Arbor Day is celebrated in South Dakota on the last Friday in April; in 2003, this would be April 25. The very first Arbor Day was proposed by Nebraska newspaper publisher J. Sterling Morton in 1872. On that first Arbor Day, over one million trees were planted in Nebraska.

The Essay Contest has been held in South Dakota for 26 years.

(Editor’s Note: Essays follow)

First Place – Jordan Kelly of East Pennington Conservation District The Circle of Life

Into the earth my precious seed will go,
May sun and rain help you grow.
Up to the heavens high above,
You shower us in leaves of hope and love.

The process is slow at first it seems,
To give you time to think of dreams.
Those dreams become many roots,
Spreading like fingers underfoot.

As your roots secure you to this earth,
You long to take a breath above the dirt.
With all your power and all your might,
You break the ground, and grow towards the light.

Years go by, your limbs are forming,
Heaven bound till the break of morning.
Breathing in the impure air,
Releasing fresh for us to bear.

For without you my dear old tree,
There would not be a healthy me.
So I take my shovel and a new seed,
For life to go on in the cycle of a tree.

Second Place – Jennifer Orth of Campbell County Conservation District We Need Trees

We need trees for shade,
We need trees for air,
We need trees for wood,
So water them with care.

We need trees for fruit,
We need trees for color,
Red, green, orange, yellow,
Shows us their glamour.

We need trees for picnics,
We need trees for birds,
We need trees for other animals,
So let us be heard.

We need trees for the leaves
Which come down in the fall,
To jump in and laugh,
The best medicine of all.

The next time you walk,
Look at all the different kinds,
Like oak, cottonwood, elm,
Cedar, fir, pines.

The beauty if they’re small,
The beauty if they’re tall,
The beauty of them all,
Winter, spring, summer, fall.

So let us keep in mind,
The beauty of a tree,
In a park or at your home,
Plant one for you and me.

Third place – Erica Blom of Douglas County Conservation District How I Love Trees!

Hi, I am Erica the Evergreen. My friends and I live in a grove and protect animals and birds from the drying winds. We’re different in many ways. Let me tell you about us:

I look very pretty in the winter. You can see snow sitting on my green needles while a cardinal, chickadee, or blue jay huddles in my branches away from the wind. I keep my needles for several years and I grow new ones before shedding the old. My tough needles can take the frost and drying winds.

Marilyn the Maple is one of my friends. She is one of the prettiest trees in North America because of her brightly colored leaves. Her sap is used to make maple syrup, and her hardwood makes excellent timber. Her seeds are called a key.

Lydia the Lilac is a sign of spring! She belongs to the olive family. Her fragrant flowers can be white or purple. They are loved by everyone and can be grown almost anywhere.

Britni the Birch has very peely bark. The Indians used birch bark to make canoes. Birches grow in pairs or clusters. Many people value birch trees. Rebecca the Redwood is among the tallest trees. She is so tall and she and the trees in her family grow so close together that not much sun reaches the forest floor.

If you ever see a cut down tree, look at its history and how long it has lived by counting the rings. The dark rings are for a wet year, and the light rings are for a dry year.

Now you know about trees, GO PLANT A TREE!

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