Press Release
Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists
Winning student posters to be displayed to fight plastic bag scourge
By Theresa Peluso
On your next outing in Mississippi Mills, check out the artwork on display in libraries, arenas, shops, and other public spaces. You will not only be impressed by the artistic and design talents of the children who created these winning posters in the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists’ Refuse-to-Use Plastic Bag Poster Contest, you’ll also be motivated to find alternatives to those environmentally destructive plastic shopping bags!
“Don’t Litter, Pretend You Were the Critter!” is the message from Libby Hirst of Pakenham Public School, shown with her poster, one of the winning designs in MVFN’s poster contest to raise awareness of the environmental problem with plastic bags. Photo John Fowler
The poster contest, which took place during the month of November, was held to engage local students in showing the harm caused by plastic bags, and suggesting alternatives. Although plastic bags seem harmless, their pervasiveness and longevity make them a serious environmental hazard. These plastic bags end up everywhere, choking and trapping millions of animals on land and in the seas, and blocking drains and sewers during the many hundreds of years they take to break down.
Overall, the poster contest was very successful. Thanks to the enthusiasm of local elementary school teachers and students, nearly 80 amazing posters were received. MVFN would like to thank our judges, Elizabeth Veninga, Catherine Blake and Chandler Swain, all well-known local artists, who were dazzled by the talent of the students and the multitude of ways they conveyed their ideas. After much deliberation, they selected the following winners: in the Grade 1-3 category: Denby Fergusson, Naismith Memorial Public School (First), Tatum Ferguson, Naismith (Second), Myles Thompson, Naismith (Third), Dylan Chartrand, Naismith (Fourth), Jason Alexander, Naismith (Fifth), Anthony McCamon, Pakenham Public School (Honourable Mention), Everett St. Croix, Naismith (Honourable Mention), and in the Grades 4-6 category: Fiona Mehmet, Naismith Memorial Public School (First), Sky JS, Pakenham Public School (Second), Libby Hirst, Pakenham (Third), Ben Hoban, Naismith (Fourth), Kyrah Nicholas, Pakenham (Fifth), Nick Love, Pakenham (Honourable Mention), Brianna Moore, Naismith (Honourable Mention).
An awards ceremony was held at the Almonte Public Library on December 18 to celebrate first-, second- and third-place winners, and award to certificates and, for the first-place winners, cheque and book prizes. We were delighted that all those invited were able to find time during the busy month of December to attend. MVFN would like to thank all those students who participated. Many thanks also to John Fowler, a talented local professional photographer, for donating his time and expertise to providing a visual record of the event, and to Pam Harris, Mississippi Mills’ Chief Librarian, for organizing use of the meeting room and space to display the top posters.
Needless to say, these students are thrilled to know that the posters they laboured so hard to create, will be catching everyone’s attention, reminding us to do the right thing and break that bad bag habit!
