MT 43 News Articles View a Published Article

5th Grade Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest Award
Author: Linda Southall, Townsend Tree Board

Linda Southall

Townsend Tree Board

2026 Broadwater County 5th Grade Arbor Day

Tree Poster Contest Award Ceremony and Tree Planting.

On May 7, 2026, in Mr. Hoff’s fifth-grade classroom, excitement ran high among the students gathered for the award ceremony of the 2026 Broadwater County 5th Grade Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest. Present with the fifth graders of the Townsend Elementary School were Superintendent Mr. Racht, Elementary School Principal Mr. Cook, and fifth-grade teachers, Mr. Hoff and Mr. Sampson. Also in attendance were members of the Townsend Tree board, Pat Plantenberg, director of the local tree board, Mary Mistek, Ian Mainwaring and Linda Southall.

Every 5th grader who participated in the Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest received a gift certificate from the Mint Café for a scoop of ice cream. The City of Townsend gave checks to the top three contest winners. Third place winner was Ava Watne, receiving a $20 check. Second place winner was Adalyn Hanson, receiving a $30.00 check. First place winner, Paige Maughan, received a check for $50 and 2 framed copies of her poster. One framed copy will be given to Paige for a keepsake, and the other will be displayed at Townsend Elementary along with the previous year’s first place winners.

All 3 winning posters will be made into postcards. The students will receive copies of their cards for personal use, and the remaining postcards will be used by the Tree Board for correspondence such as meeting announcements and thank-you notes.

After the award ceremony, the fifth-grade students, teachers, and the Tree Board went outside to plant a Linden Tree. The new tree is planted beside the faculty and staff parking lot, kitty-corner from the Laundromat on North Spruce St. All of the students and teachers had the opportunity to shovel dirt around the new tree and water it. Now we can all watch it grow.

Article Images

Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
PhotoCredit: Pat Plantenberg
Image 1 Caption: From Left to right: Mr. Hoff, Ava Watne, Linda Southall, Adalyn Hanson, Paige Maughan, and Mr. Sampson. Photo Credit: Pat Plantenberg