PES Students Honored in Whiteside SWCD
Poster Contest
For the second year in a row Eunice Yoon, 4th grader of Prophetstown Elementary School (PES), took first place honors in the annual Whiteside County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) Poster Contest. The runner-up, Jarett McCoy, is also a 4th grader at PES. Eunice received $25 & a set of natural resource identification books from Whiteside SWCD, and Jarett received the book “A Sand County Almanac”, by Aldo Leopold.
Schools are invited to take part in the poster contest competition with poster designs divided in grade level categories. One winning poster is chosen from each category of grade level posters. The winning posters are sent to the Illinois Soil & Water Conservation District Office in Springfield for the state level competition. The winning poster from each category is then awarded with the student artist and their parents as our guests at the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation District (AISWCD) Summer Conference in July. In 2010, Eunice won the state level competition and Eunice and the Yoon family members were overnight guests of Whiteside SWCD in Springfield, as they travelled down to share in the state recognition given Eunice at AISWCD Summer Conference. Eunice’s district winning poster competed at the state level again for 2011, although it was not chosen as a state winner. The poster contest theme for 2011 is: “Forests for People: More than You can Imagine!”
2011 State Poster Contest Winners Reported in July 2011:
K-1 – Domminick Alber – Stephenson County
2-3 – Alayna Palmer – Stephenson County
4-6 – Aiden Iocca – Menard County
7-9 – Cristin Pollard – White County
10-11 – Patrick Price – Dekalb County
Whiteside County
Soil & Water Conservation District
Raptor Program @ Erie Elementary School
The Whiteside County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) arranged a program presented by Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education on May 9, 2011. The entire student body & faculty at Erie Elementary enjoyed the program held in the school gymnasium. Utilizing non-releasable birds and interaction with the audience, program speaker Candy Ridlbauer posed & answered questions such as: “What makes a raptor a raptor?”, “What is the role raptors play at the top of the food chain?”, “What can each of us do to ensure these magnificent creatures are with us always?” Many live raptors were handled by the presenters, including hawks and many species of owls. The program presenter explained how some species have learned to coexist with humans and how we can live and thrive together in conserving our natural environment. Students were allowed to view close-up and touch many biological tools of raptors after the program, such as wings, feathers, tails, feet, & pellets.
Natural Resources Category Popular at 4-H Fair
Natural Resource projects were well represented at the 2011 Whiteside County 4-H Fair. The event is held at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds and thirty-one projects were entered in the natural resources area by Whiteside County 4-H’ ers. Natural Resource categories judged included Natural Resources I & II, Outdoor Adventures I & II, Sportfishing I & II, Wildlife I & II, Forestry I & II, and Geology I & II. The Outdoor Adventure was the most popular category, followed by Wildlife. Rhonda Marshang of Whiteside County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Kris Zschiesche (SWCD volunteer) judged the projects at the fairgrounds on July 19th. Pictured with their projects from Whiteside County are Aaron Wetzell, age 10, with his Eco-chamber; and Kaleb Polzon, age 10, with his Day Hiking display.
Kaleb Polzon, age 10, with his Day Hiking display 
Aaron Wetzell, age 10, with his Eco-chamber Whiteside County SWCD Offers Arbor Day Program for 3rd Graders
Whiteside SWCD Education Coordinator, Rhonda Marshang, visited the 3rd grade students of many schools of Whiteside County in celebration of Arbor Day. Rhonda demonstrated the proper way to plant a tree, and discussed the importance of trees in our world. Each 3rd grader was given a Red Osier Dogwood tree to take home. Pictures are of Lincoln School of Sterling students, and Prophetstown Elementary School 3rd graders.
Lincoln School 3rd Grade in Sterling
Prophetstown Elementary School 3rd Grade
