Fifth-grader’s watercolor wins Arbor Day contest
A tree grows in Falls Park in Post Falls thanks to 11-year-old Christy Reid. It’s a hearty, flowering dogwood, which should last 100 years or more.
Christy’s watercolor painting placed first in the National Arbor Day Foundation poster contest. The tree and plaque beneath it were part of the recognition granted to the Hayden Lake student for her efforts. A celebration Oct. 24 in Post Falls was attended by Mayor Clay Larkin and forestry officials. NADF program director Michelle Scribner traveled from her Nebraska headquarters for the tree-planting ceremony and said that Christy’s poster stood out from the others.
“It’s great because we have a bonus with this poster,” she said. “We normally don’t get a poem with it.”
She said that Christy’s poster and poem entry was unique in its quality of art and the way she conveyed the year’s theme, “Trees are Terrific and Energy-wise.”
“Everything she wrote and showed in the poster showed what we were trying to get across in the theme,” Scribner said.
Every school in the state will receive a copy of the poster, and about 12,000 other copies will be on display in schools across the country. Christy drew an animal-filled tree giving shade to urban and rural settings. She had taken art lessons before but they were in charcoal and pencil. This was her first venture into watercolors and she found that they suited her.
“I love color,” she said. “It was just a ton of fun blending different colors and making shades of green and pink.”
For a youngster who says her favorite hangout is the Hands-On Art Studio, a paint-your-own pottery shop on Government Way, the project was pure enjoyment. Christy said she took tips from studio owner Kim Washko while working on her poster.
The annual contest is open to fifth-graders only and Christy, who is home-schooled, learned of it from her friend, Hannah Coad of Cataldo, who was the national winner two years ago. Christy received $1,200 in savings bonds, a lifetime membership in the National Arbor Day Foundation, a framed copy of her poster and two honorary trees. Besides the dogwood in Post Falls, another tree grows in Boise thanks to Christy. She met Gov. Dirk Kempthorne there last April to celebrate her winning the competition and they planted a Kwanza cherry tree together. Christy was flown to Washington, D.C., for sightseeing and the opening of the art exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Garden, where her poster was unveiled along with the winners from 48 states and the District of Columbia.
“It’s just a blast and they (NADF personnel) treat you like royalty,” she said. “I liked the whole experience. I also really liked making my artwork.”
The contest is intended to educate children on the importance of trees and how to plant them and care for them. For Christy, who is the daughter of Suzanne and Brian Reid, it served its purpose. She already saw the value of helping the community by volunteering at nursing homes and local food banks but the poster project taught her something new.
“I learned to love trees,” Christy said. “I know a lot more about trees and I respect them a lot more. I notice them more.”
She was given the opportunity to choose what tree she’d like in Falls Park and selected the Kousa dogwood after seeing its picture on the Internet. It should grow to be 20-to-30 feet tall and equal in spread. White flowers will arrive in late spring. Christy plans to visit it often and watch it grow. She imagines bringing her children and grandchildren for picnics under the tree and sharing with them the lesson that she learned.
“To work hard and set goals,” she said. “I want to plant more trees through my life.”