We want to celebrate our sixth grade Illinois EPA winners! Eight of our sixth-graders and Mrs. Ronchi were looking forward to attending the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s 2020 Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest Awards Ceremony at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, IL on Saturday, April 18, 2020. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to the Illinois stay-at-home order. Therefore, we would like to now celebrate our students’ awesome achievements.  

The theme of this year’s contest was:
“Algae: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly… How Can You Keep Your Local Pond Healthy?”
The sixth-grade class studied how land and water pollution can lead to toxic algal blooms in Illinois ponds and lakes. Four poems/essays and four posters were submitted from SMA for the contest.  All eight received awards, and  we had two top winner awards out of the top 12 in the state!

• Congratulations to our top 2 winners, Karolina Kyrych for her poem and Gavin Magnine for his poster. They each received a rosette ribbon, two books, and a certificate.Their work will be published on the Illinois EPA website in the near future.
• Sela Nucum received an Honorable Mention Award for her poster. She received a medal, a book, and a certificate.
• Dylan Cooney, Efi Maliaras, and Jeremiah Torres were finalists in the poetry/prose category.
• Ola Przygodzka and Aaron Serrano were finalists in the poster category. They each received a ribbon and a certificate.

We are so proud of our sixth-grade scientists!  Happy Earth Week to everyone!