DAPHNE, Ala.—Lauren Stewart, a Daphne East Elementary fifth-grader, Tuesday visited the state capitol as first-place winner of Alabama’s Arbor Day Contest.

She spoke on “The Importance of Arbor Day and What the Arbor Day Poster Contest Means to Me,” and received an Arbor Week proclamation signed by Gov. Bob Riley and $50, among other items, for placing in the contest.

The theme—“Trees are terrific … in Cities and Towns”—  drew participation from two other Daphne schools, namely W.J.  Carroll Intermediate  School, with winner Sarah Carson, and Christ the King School, with winner Mary Ann Florey. 

All three schools’ winning posters had been sent to Birmingham and were entered in Toyota’s National Arbor Day Foundation Contest.

More than 75,000 fifth-grade teachers across America had been invited to participate in Arbor Day activities by teaching a short course of understanding how trees grow and benefit the environment.

Daphne’s posters were made by students and voted on at the area school before being sent to state level. When returned, the posters will be displayed at the Daphne Public Library for one year.