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Students from Thompson Falls Elementary and Trout Creek Adventist School once again participated in the annual Beautification Days poster contest. This year's cleanup is set to begin Thursday, April 20, and will run through Saturday, April 22.

Each year, the Beautification Days committee invites elementary students to create artwork that is focused on the yearly theme. This year's theme, according to Kathy Conlin with the Beautification Days committee, is "Better Together." Conlin says the students are encouraged to create posters using as much color as possible.

One winner from each grade was announced last Tuesday in the Thompson Falls Elementary school gym after judges carefully selected winners that followed the theme. First Security Bank donated a bag of art supplies that was handed out to each winning artist by judges Mike Thilmony and Michael Scharfe.

First year judges, Tanya Schmell of Trout Creek and Janet Harris of Thompson Falls, both said the judging was a fun and exciting experience. Cathy Mills of Thompson Falls also said she enjoyed helping judge the artwork this year.

This year's winners included: Logan Carbone, kindergarten; Samuel Overbeck, first grade; Trevor Fitchett, second grade; Elena Buys, third grade; Maddox VanElswyk, fourth grade; Seth Overbeck, fifth grade; and Serena Overbeck, sixth grade.

From this year's winners comes three siblings from Trout Creek Adventist School. The eldest sibling, Serena, said it was a "cool surprise" when she found out she won. "I hope the posters encourage people to help on Beautification Days," she said. "It will be my third year joining my school in cleaning along the road in Thompson Falls."

Winning posters will be displayed at First Security Bank in Thompson Falls and the remaining student's posters will be displayed in the windows of Main Street businesses. "We are so proud of you for putting so much time into your posters for Beautification Days," Conlin said to the students before sending them back to class for the day.

Beautification Days is an annual effort on behalf of community members to help clean up the town they call home. Each year, volunteers, schools and local businesses and organizations put aside their schedule to help clean up roadways, prune bushes and help with trail maintenance at the Mule Pasture.

Courtesy photo

Trout Creek Adventist School Beautification Days poster winners included (from left) Samuel Overbeck, Seth Overbeck and Serena Overbeck.

While Conlin retired last year as chairperson, she hopes the tradition will carry on as the committee searches for someone to take the reins, position, Conlin says, the committee has yet to fill. "We will not be able to have the full event without a chairperson. So, we are designing a scaled back version of Beautification Days this year," she said. Conlin says the committee is also looking for a project manager to head up the elderly and disabled yard work project. "It's the heart of Beautification Days," she said.

Linda Rocheleau, who has helped with Beautification Days since its inception, says all the new chairperson would need to do is just take the wheel. "They don't need to reinvent the wheel," she stated. "We just need someone to hand it off to."

For more information on becoming part of the Beautification Days committee, contact Rocheleau at, [email protected] or call (406) 827-4002.