![(From left) St. John Elementary students Brenna McAdam, Seth Meehl and Grace Roberts and Seward Elementary students Daniel Krafka, Braden Hiser and Colin Stannifer were chosen to help plant a tree during Seward’s Arbor Day celebration on Thursday, April 26, at Independence Landing. During the event, Mayor Josh Eickmeier spoke to students from both schools about the importance of Arbor Day and its impact on future generations. St. John students shared tree jokes and Seward Elementary students shared a brief history about the beginnings of Arbor Day in Nebraska City. Matt Stryson, chair of Seward’s Tree Board, presented the Friend of Tree Award to arborist Larry Goldsmith. “When you get to be our age, [these] will be big shady trees,” Stryson told the children.](https://zeta.creativecirclecdn.com/seward/large/20200925-223811-7411db9911568200942e95ff7b03ac96.jpg)
(From left) St. John Elementary students Brenna McAdam, Seth Meehl and Grace Roberts and Seward Elementary students Daniel Krafka, Braden Hiser and Colin Stannifer were chosen to help plant a tree during Seward’s Arbor Day celebration on Thursday, April 26, at Independence Landing. During the event, Mayor Josh Eickmeier spoke to students from both schools about the importance of Arbor Day and its impact on future generations. St. John students shared tree jokes and Seward Elementary students shared a brief history about the beginnings of Arbor Day in Nebraska City. Matt Stryson, chair of Seward’s Tree Board, presented the Friend of Tree Award to arborist Larry Goldsmith. “When you get to be our age, [these] will be big shady trees,” Stryson told the children.
Winners have been announced for the annual My Favorite Tree art contest, sponsored by the GFWC Seward Woman’s Club. The children’s tree art is on display through the end of the month at the Seward Civic Center’s Langworthy Gallery.
The first place winner in Division K-3 was Addison Opfer of St. John School in Seward. She is in the third grade and her teacher is Deborah Gebhardt. Second place was Molly Marroquin, who is in Cindy Lemke’s first grade class at St. John. Haven Hinrichs of Stacy Herrold’s second grade class at Seward Elementary was the third-place winner.
In the fourth grade division, the first place winner was Kalen Knott of Seward Elementary from Deena Haberman’s class. There was a tie for second in grade four, with Paige Blobaum and Tanya Miller, both of Scott Wilcox’s fourth grade at St. John. The third-place winner was Jason Harvey of Jody Greisen’s fourth grade class at Seward Elementary.
All of the student winners received cash awards, presented by Jean Kolterman of the GFWC Seward Woman’s Club. The judge for the contest was Chrissy Smith of Lincoln, a UNL art education major.
