Arbor Day Photos
 | Author:
Patrick Plantenberg, Tree Board Chair
Townsend Tree Board Chair, Townsend Rotary Club |
Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest Event
Patrick Plantenberg
Tree Board Chair
It was May 1st, and it was a beautiful spring morning! Excitement ran high in Mr. Hoff’s fifth-grade classroom as students looked forward to the annual awards ceremony and tree planting event for the 2025 Broadwater County Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest. Several members of the Townsend Tree Board, including Chairman Patrick Plantenberg, Mary Mistek, Dan Mainwaring, Charles Freshmen and Linda Southall, were present to help hand out the awards. Grade School Principal Steve Cook and fifth-grade teachers Mr. Hoff, Mr. Sampson and Ms. Erb were excited to participate in the awards ceremony with their students.
All the fifth-grade students participated in this year’s content. They received a small gift certificate for a scoop of ice cream at the Mint Café. Their posters will be displayed at Broadwater Community Library over the summer. Adults who helped with this competition also received ice cream gift certificates.
There were three top-placing students. Third-place winner was Bennett Kirksey. He received a $20 check from the City of Townsend. Calvin McCauley placed second. He received a $30.00 check from the City of Townsend. Emilyn Powers placed first and received a $50.00 check from the City of Townsend. In addition to her cash prize, Emily received a framed “portrait” of her poster. She can keep the framed edition of her drawing as a forever reminder of her excellent work. Another framed edition of Emilyn’s poster was made. It will be displayed at the Townsend Elementary School along with the other framed pictures of the first-place winners of the annual Arbor Day tree posters drawn over 21 years of the contest.
After the awards ceremony, students, teachers and tree board members who had assembled in Mr. Hoff’s classroom, went to the south corner of the new elementary school along Pine and Second Streets to plant a box elder tree. Some of the students had an opportunity to mix dirt and nutrients for the tree. All students and teachers had a chance to perform other tasks associated with planting a tree, such as shoveling dirt, fertilizer and mulch around the tree roots, watering the tree with the assistance of tree board member Teri Blahnik and securing the tree with three posts. The morning was warming up and the sky was blue, making the day perfect for honoring the Arbor Day tree poster contest contestants with the tree planting event.
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PhotoCredit: Patrick Plantenberg
Image 1 Caption: 5th grade students helping pound fenceposts around Sensation Boxelder Arbor Day tree at the school.
Photo Credit: Patrick Plantenberg
Image 3 Caption: 5th grade teacher Mr. Sampson, 2025 Arbor Day Poster Contest Winner Emilyn Powers, and Linda Southall, Arbor Day Poster Contest Organizer for the Tree Board.
Photo Credit: Patrick Plantenberg
