FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2011

Local students are winners in the first
N.C. Farm to School calendar contest

RALEIGH --The artwork of 14 elementary and middle school students was selected for the first North Carolina Farm to School calendar. The calendar features daily agricultural facts and is intended to highlight the Farm to School program and agriculture’s role in food production.

“We received some great artwork from students. They drew everything from tractors and farmers to apples and blueberries,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It is important that kids know where their food comes from, and that is one of the many benefits of the Farm to School program and these calendars. Teachers can use the agricultural facts in the classroom, and students get to enjoy the freshest fruits and vegetables available during the school year.”

The Farm to School program is a cooperative effort of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food Distribution and Marketing divisions. These divisions work together, securing orders from school nutrition directors and sourcing and delivering locally grown fruits and vegetables for school lunch programs. The program started in 1998 and is coming off its best year ever, with sales closing in on $1 million and participation by 78 school districts statewide.

Winning entrants and the month their artwork will represent are:

• Cover art -- Austin McLendon, a fifth-grader at Page Street Elementary School in Montgomery County;
• August 2011 -- Alejandra Medina, a third-grader at Bailey Elementary in Nash County;
• September 2011 -- Tommy Douangkham, a fifth-grader at Page Street Elementary in Montgomery County;
• October 2011 -- Dalton Collins, a third-grader at Franklinton Elementary in Franklin County;
• November 2011 -- Giovanni Budi, a sixth-grader at Roland Grise Middle School in New Hanover County;
• December 2011 -- Saarah Bryant, a kindergartner at Johnson Primary at Camp Lejeune in Onslow County;
• January 2012 -- Megan Barker, a fifth-grader at Woodland Elementary in Person County;
• February 2012 -- Malikai Edwards, a second-grader at Princeton Elementary in Johnston County;
• March 2012 -- Ny’Mignon Avery, a fifth-grader at Burton Elementary in Durham County;
• April 2012 -- Brayden Watts, a kindergartner at Cartoogechaye Elementary in Macon County;
• May 2012 -- Gayathri Achar, a kindergartner at Cedar Fork Elementary in Wake County;
• June 2012 -- Grant Adams, a first-grader at Cartoogechaye Elementary in Macon County;
• July 2012 -- Ellie Fagan, a fourth-grader at Middle Creek Elementary in Wake County;
• August 2012 -- Rachel Halterman, a fourth-grader at Franklinton Elementary in Franklin County.

The calendar contest was open to public school students in grades kindergarten through 6. Winners will receive a $50 savings bond and a year’s subscription to Our State and Edible Piedmont magazines. The artwork will also be on display at the State Fair in the educational exhibit near Gate 11.

School systems will receive a minimum number of calendars before the start of the school year. Additional copies will be available through NCDA&CS on a first-come, first-served basis. A printer-friendly version can also be found at www.ncfarmtoschool.com.

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