The annual Jim Claypool Art and Conservation contests had 41,000 Kentucky students participate this year with 29,000 art entries and another 12,000 entries for conservation writing.

With this year’s theme of “Keeping It Wild”, the contest included many entries from Henry County students in both art and conservation writing:

Henry County

High School

Conservation Writing

  • Parker Hancock, 1st place classroom, school and county winner
  • Evan Hamilton, 1st place classroom, 2nd place school, 2nd place county
  • Kylee Redmon, 2nd place classroom, 3rd place school. 3rd place county
  • Logan Marsh, 3rd place classroom
  • Shelby Anderson, 2nd place classroom

Eastern Elementary

Art Contest

  • Hailey Taylor, classroom winner, school winner and county winner
  • Magaly Arroyo-Bustos, classroom winner and 3rd place school
  • Brock Tingle, classroom winner, 2nd place school winner, 3rd place county winner
  • Gavin Moore, classroom winner
  • Jagger Sullivan, classroom winner
  • Silas Snider, classroom winner
  • Cash Abney, classroom winner
  • Grayson Disch, classroom winner
  • Dathan Drawbaugh, classroom winner

New Castle

Elementary

Art Contest

  • Asher Dewitt, classroom winner, 1st place school winner, 2nd place county winner
  • Kynleigh Wells, classroom winner, 3rd place school winner
  • Zarah Puckett, classroom winner, 2nd place school winner
  • Raegan Edgerton, classroom winner
  • River Winnall, classroom winner
  • Corinne Lewis, classroom winner
  • Emersyn Mings, classroom winner
  • Allie Taylor, classroom winner
  • Grace Baxter, classroom winner
  • Addie McBurney, classroom winner

Henry County Conservation District Chairman Allan Bryant said the contests in honor of conservation advocate Jim Claypool promote awareness among students for “trying to preserve what we have today for the next generation”

In addition to recognition of the students, the banquet for the art and writing contests held Friday night at the Henry County Extension Office also recognized the most recent selections for the Marshall Banta Conservation Education Grant of $1,000 each:

  • New Castle Elementary, Barbra Gregory — Per her request, with this grant, she would like to teach the children what it means to grow your own food and flowers. Currently, New Castle Elementary has a greenhouse but needs a lot of work. They are working with what resources they have and have planted strawberries, irises, cabbage, broccoli and lettuce from seed. New Castle Elementary will be receiving $1,000 to go toward this project.
  • Campbellsburg Elementary, Lisa Rose and Eric Stout — Per their request with this grant, they will be implementing the “Bluewolf Path” which will be a walking trail that winds its way through the Campbellsburg Elementary property. This space will become a key component of the Bluewolf community as students display artwork such as painted stones, stepping stones and class-made windchimes along the trail. As the project develops classes will have the opportunity to cultivate the landscape along the trail by planting flowers for pollinators and trees. Campbellsburg Elementary will be receiving $1,000 to go toward this project. Campbellsburg Elementary Principal Amy Treece attended the banquet on behalf of the school.

Also recognized were the following teachers: Abbie Garrett (New Castle Elementary art teacher) Robin Tillman (Eastern Elementary art teacher) Lindsey Davie (Henry County High School agriculture education teacher) and Jessica Elliott (Henry County High School science teacher).

The banquet also featured an educational program by Master Environment Educator Brigette Brouillard of the Second Chances Wildlife Center, which rescues and rehabilitates mammals in Kentucky.

Brouillard brought her Eastern red bat Pepperoni to show to the banquet crowd and told the story about how she rehabilitated Pepperoni after she was contacted about an injured bat at Pizza Hut near Louisville that needed rescue due to a broken wing. She wrote a children’s book, “Pepperoni: The One-Winged Bat” about the rescue. It is available from Amazon.

For more details about the mammal rescue center that Brouillard founded and now serves as executive director, visit their website at SecondChancesWildlife.org.