'Power of Plants' at the Missouri Botanical Garden
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Date: May 5, 2010 10092 For Immediate Release STUDENTS SHOWCASE THE ‘POWER OF PLANTS’ AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN Winning Contest Entries on Display through June 30 (ST. LOUIS): The Missouri Botanical Garden has announced the winners of its second annual “Power of Plants” student contest, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The contest challenged youth in kindergarten through 12 th grades to pick a plant, learn about its qualities, characteristics and the ways it helps people, and tell its “superhero” story through a creative two- or three-dimensional work of art. Over 400 submissions were received from individuals and groups in the bi-state region. Winners were revealed Tuesday, May 4 at an evening reception at the Garden hosted by President Dr. Peter Raven, joined by Monsanto Fund President Deborah Patterson. The winning entries will be on public display inside the Garden’s Ridgway Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through June 30. “Once again, students rose to the challenge and submitted interesting, well-researched and creative entries,” said contest coordinator Jessica Kester of the Garden’s Education Division. “We are delighted that this contest has inspired and engaged so many students to learn about the importance of plants, and are proud to have the support of the Monsanto Fund to make this program a reality.” Grand prize winner Katherine Yutung Ren, an eighth-grader at Wydown Middle School in Clayton, created a family album for the Persimmon family, highlighting the life of the Missouri native through her artwork, detailed botanical information and clever prose. The middle school student received $1,000 for her top-scoring entry. In the elementary school category, individual winners included: (over) ADD ONE: Power of Plants • First prize: Kirkwood resident Molly Hooks from Robinson Elementary for her gingko tree project that juxtaposed an actual tree branch with family photos depicting the tree’s planting; • Second prize: Kirkwood resident Ross Stauder from Tillman Elementary for a three-dimensional bamboo hut that incorporated bamboo-spun yarn; and • Third prize: Creve Coeur resident Kavintha Gnanarajah from Andrews School for her aloe vera poster that included custom-made brochures. In the elementary school category, group winners included: • First prize: Cameron Straatman, Jeffrey Phillips and Kate Williams from St. John the Baptist- Gildehaus in Villa Ridge for their clay creation highlighting the American Linden Tree; • Second prize: Amonyae Belts, Nick Boone, Victoria Warren, Caitlin Brewster, Makayla Overla, Klyee McGill, Jayla Stubblefield and Bailey Spengler from LaVerna Evans Garden Helpers in O’Fallon, Mo. for their fact-filled poster about the cocoa tree; and • Third prize: Erin Kelly and Audrey Kelly from Robinson Elementary in Kirkwood for their dogwood tree made with tissue paper flowers and leaves of facts. In the middle school category, individual winners included: • First prize: Alton, Ill. resident Emilie Harrison from St. Mary’s Middle School for her three- dimensional cactus entry with cowboy character; • Second prize: Wood River, Ill. resident Dan Townsend from St. Mary’s Middle School for his smiling sunflower with seeds; and • Third prize: St. Louis resident Annie Muehlfarth from St. Francis of Assisi for her Saguaro cactus submission. In the middle school category, group winners included: • First prize: Bridget Smith and Carissa Kulpa from St. John the Baptist-Gildehaus in Villa Ridge for their pokeweed entry that highlighted the use of the plant to write the Declaration of Independence; • Second prize: Nina Rudin and Hannah Kroll from St. Justin Martyr in southwest St. Louis for a display board showcasing the soothing, homeopathic benefits of lavender; and • Third prize: Sisters Shannon McKeon and Molly McKeon from St. Joseph-Cottleville in O’Fallon, Mo. for their wheel of facts about the peppermint plant that incorporated old board game pieces and essential oils. (more) ADD TWO: Power of Plants In the high school category, individual winners included: • First prize: Des Peres resident Savannah Feher from Parkway South High School for her bamboo- themed and framed graphics; • Second prize: St. Louis resident Caitlyn Brinkmann from Oakville High School for her creation of a “ginger processing plantation” where visitors are welcomed by Ginger Ann, the ginger bread cookie; and • Third prize: St. Louis resident Elizabeth Brennan from Rosati-Kain High School for her seek- and-find poster featuring bamboo products hidden in a bamboo grove. In the high school category, group winners included: • First prize: Kelsey Helmig and Katie Boehm from Owensville High School in Owensville for their comic book starring the “super fruit” carambola; • Second prize: Andrea Horn and Samantha Sparks from Roxana High School in Roxana, Ill. for their tribute to sassafras made with a root beer bottle, glittery hand-cut leaves and facts about the plant; and • Third prize: Brittany King and Kirsten Patterson from Tuscumbia High School in Tuscumbia, Ill. for their brochure highlighting the many uses of giant timber bamboo. The 2010 Power of Plants contest was open to individuals and groups of students from Missouri and Illinois. Submissions were accepted from Aug. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010 and scored on botanical accuracy, creativity and quality by judges representing the fields of botany, art, literature and education. The Missouri Botanical Garden received a grant from the Monsanto Fund to sponsor the Power of Plants program, which supports the Garden’s mission “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.” View the winning Power of Plants entries on display at the Garden in the Jordan Education Wing, lower level of the Ridgway Visitor Center, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through June 30. The display is included with Garden admission ($8 adults; St. Louis City and County residents, $4 adults and free on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until noon). Children ages 12 and under and Garden members are free. The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis, accessible from Interstate 44 at the Vandeventer exit and from Interstate 64 at the Kingshighway North & South (over) ADD THREE: Power of Plants exit. Free parking is available on-site and two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer. For more information about the Power of Plants contest, visit www.mobot.org/power . For general Garden information, visit www.mobot.org or call (314) 577-5100 (toll-free, 1-800-642-8842). # # # NOTE : Digital images available by request. Download media materials at www.mobot.org/press . About the Monsanto Fund: Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund’s primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in four main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; the environment, which includes conservation, protection of biodiversity, clean water and restoration of wildlife habitat; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work. Visit Monsanto Fund at http://www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp . About the Missouri Botanical Garden: The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.” Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display. .