OXFORD – “Trees are Terrific… in Cities and Towns!” was the theme of the 2009 Arbor Day poster contest which students of Oxford Academy’s 5th grade recently participated in. The Oxford Village Tree Board sponsored the contest on the local level of the 2009 National Arbor Day Poster Contest, sponsored by Toyota. Three winners were announced on Jan. 16 by Tree Board representatives, Gray Stevens, Jeanie Petersen and John Godfrey. To show their appreciation to the fourteen students who entered, they had a little “Arbor Day-style” celebration.

Back in October 2008, in preparation for the contest, Kathleen Hansen, the Oxford Middle School Principal, gave the new Art Instructor, Charity Gipp, an Arbor Day Foundation lesson plan. It was centered on the theme, “Trees Are Terrific…in Cities and Towns!” with activities about the importance of tree diversity in a community. Activities also correlated with National Science, Geography, and Art Standards. All the students had a good time learning about trees and creating great posters.