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Tree-mendous slogans take Arbor Day prizes

5/3/2012 - West Side Leader
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By Kathleen Folkerth

Photos: Dale Dong
WEST AKRON — The creative efforts of Amy Heffernan’s fourth-grade students at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts led to the planting of a lilac tree on the school’s property April 27. The class collectively crafted the slogan “Spring, summer, winter, fall. Trees grow tall through it all,” for a contest sponsored by Keep Akron Beautiful (KAB) in honor of Arbor Day. A panel of five judges selected it as the best slogan out of 28 received by fourth-grade classrooms from throughout the city, KAB officials said.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic was on hand at the school for the event and talked about citizens’ responsibilities in keeping the city clean and beautiful, as pictured at right top.

Students assisted with the planting, as shown at right bottom.

Heffernan’s class is pictured at right middle with Plusquellic, KAB’s Paula Davis, Heffernan and Miller South Principal Dawn Wilson.

KAB officials said the second-place slogan, “Trees grow through stages, as it ages,” was composed by teacher Michael Morris’ class at Bridges Learning Center in Goodyear Heights. “Seeds are planted, seedlings grow, and beautiful trees will show,” was the third place-winner, written by the fourth-grade class of Andrea Lessem at Sam Salem Community Learning Center in Kenmore. Those schools also received a new tree.

KAB officials said it also helped celebrate Arbor Day with the city’s Engineering Department by selecting 2,500 dogwood and redbud seedlings that were given to all public, charter and private school fourth-grade students in the city. Students were encouraged to plant the trees in their yards, KAB officials said.

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