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A Dallas County student was recently recognized during a tree planting ceremony hosted by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for being one of the winners in this year’s Arbor Day Poster Contest sponsored by Keep Alabama Beautiful, the Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA) and others.

Fifth grade Salem Elementary School student Lisa Morgan won third place honors in the statewide competition, which included nearly 4,000 students in 182 classrooms in 48 schools across the state.

Dallas County Commissioner Valerie Reubin and Selma City Councilwoman Jannie Thomas led the charge in getting local students involved with the annual contest – this is the first year that Dallas County students have participated – and are already looking to include more schools in next year’s competition.

The competition was open to fifth grade students across Alabama who designed posters around the theme “Trees are terrific…and forests are too!”

Copeland Bender from Gulf Shores Elementary School took home the top prize, with Dylan Montgomery of Goldsmith Shiffman Elementary in Huntsville nabbed second place.

For his winning poster, Bender received $50, a one-year AUFA membership and other prizes, while all three attended the tree planting ceremony held on the capitol grounds in Montgomery.

“As Alabamians, it’s our job to make sure we remain ‘Alabama the Beautiful,” Ivey said. “In celebrating Arbor Day, we are doing just that. We are acknowledging the importance of trees and conserving them for our future generations. I am also very proud of the nearly 4,000 students who participated in this year’s Arbor Day statewide poster contest. The future of any part of our state – including the conservation of our trees and forests – begins with our young people.”

The Alabama Arbor Day Poster Contest began in 1997 as a way of encouraging young people to invest in conservation efforts.