The Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service have announced their 2017 Smokey Bear Poster Contest winners.
Three local elementary school artists have been selected Grand Prize winners in the annual contest, which is in its 36th year. Approximately 100 students participated this year, mostly fourth-graders, but with some from mixed classes.
Grand Prize winners were Natiyah Koenig of Carla Alexander’s fourth-grade class at Hawthorne, Samantha Pineda-Villa of Rachel Markell’s fourth-grade class at Foster, and Luci Hankins of Cynthia Davis’ third/fourth-grade class at Oak Heights.
Posters were displayed at the Sweet Home Library. The three winning entries were painted onto 4×8 sheets of plywood by high school art students.
Other winners included Haylee Begrin, Sarah Wood and Tiara Reynolds, Jenaya McElhinny of Oak Heights; Harmony Davis, Marcus Dean, Destin Perkins, Samantha Murphy and Emily Burks of Foster; and Lukas Elliot and Amelia Sullens of Hawthorne.
Luci’s poster will be displayed on Quartzville Road at Sunnyside Park; Samantha’s will be posted at Shea Point on Highway 20; and Natiyah’s will be placed on Upper Calapooia Road.