Last fall, the North Carolina Zoo offered interested kindergarten to 12th-grade students statewide an opportunity to take part in a poster contest to raise awareness of endangered species.
Eighty-five students participated among four age divisions: kindergarten through second grades; third through fifth grades; sixth through eighth grades; and ninth through 12th grades.
Five finalists from each division were determined by Zoo staff members, and the winners then were chosen by select Zoo and Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau staff members and announced last month. They are Daniel Kim (Charlotte, grades K-2, entry name Blue Whale); Zaina Taha (Chapel Hill, 3-5, Javan Rhinoceros); Brooke Riggs (Salisbury, 6-8, Galapagos Fur Seal); and Jeffrey Shao (Charlotte, 9-12, Whooping Crane).
“We appreciate so many children throughout North Carolina being a part of this contest,” says Zoo Director Pat Simmons. “It’s a unique way to combine art, research and a desire to help our planet by raising awareness of endangered species.”
Among the prizes the winners received were a one-year family membership on behalf of the NC Zoo Society, a piece of art from the Zoo’s resident animal ambassadors, and a gift bag.