News-Press Online - Arbor Day Celebration

The following are the winners in the Poetry Contest:
6th and 7th Grade
1st Place: Madison Wurtele (Nebraska City Middle School)
2nd Place: Ellen Wulf (Lourdes Central Catholic School 7th Grade)
Honorable Mention: James O’Neil (Lourdes Central Catholic 6th Grade)

8th Grade
1st Place: Rebecca Hensley (Nebraska City Middle School)
2nd Place: Laura Regler (Nebraska City Middle School)
Honorable Mention: Brittany Jurgena (Nebraska City Middle School)

The poems were judged by the Book Clinic’s Book Club. The club members commented on how much they enjoyed reading all of the submitted poems. The winners will read their poems to the grade school students at the Arbor Day Program on Friday, April 27, at Arbor Lodge and prizes will be awarded at that time.

Poster contest held
About 600 entries received

There were approximately 600 posters submitted for the 2007 Arbor Day Poster Contest. Prizes will be awarded to all winners Friday, April 27. The results of the contest are as follows, with the school and teacher listed in parenthesis:

Kindergarten
1st Place
Joseph Frerichs
(Northside/Meyer)
Honorable Mention
Langston Hoover
(Northside/James)

1st Grade
1st Place
Jacob Chaney
(Northside/Larson)
Honorable Mention
Jacob Buckner
(Northside/Kingery)

2nd Grade
1st Place
Stephanie Durr
(Lourdes/Harris)
Honorable Mention
Miranda Harding
(Northside/Tharp)

3rd Grade
1st Place
Jade Adler
(Hayward/Lambert)
Honorable Mention
Helena Hartman
(Hayward/Hamilton)

4th Grade
1st Place
Katie O'Neil
(Lourdes/Schnitzer)
Honorable Mention
Savannah Mizner
(Hayward/Crook)

5th Grade
1st Place
Marcella Mercer
(Hayward/Gadeken)
Honorable Mention
Jamilex Cantu
(Hayward/Golden)

The artist-jurors this year were Jilly Morris and Susan Murrell.

Jilly Morris is a visual artist from Bristol, England, in residence for seven weeks this spring at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the arts.
After studying and working for several years in graphic design, Jilly completed a master’s of arts (MA) degree at the University of West England in 2006. Her recent artwork merges unusual combinations such as stitch and enamel; paper, clay and wire; or porcelain slip and canvas.
Drawing is a vital component of her art; through translation and juxtaposition, she aspires to blur the boundaries between craft and art.

Susan Murrell is in residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts for the month of April. Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, she recently earned a masters of fine arts degree (MFA) in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga. Before moving to the South for school, Susan lived in Portland, Ore., where she was the owner/operator of a printmaking studio and an active participant in the Alberta Arts District where her studio was located.
In her work, Susan invents biomorphic imagery inspired by scientific textbooks to create a visual language to explore the acquisition and recall of knowledge. Her interests focus on the oversimplification that often must take place to aid in understanding the sometimes overwhelming natural world and the, at times, equally baffling desire to create art. In her art work, she uses illustrative watercolor and pen drawings, patterned abstractions of gouache on vellum, large expressionistic acrylic paintings, and encaustic.