NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
April 17, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 161
For more information, contact Trina Cale-Rosario, Junior Duck Stamp Contest Coordinator, at 302-653-2882, ext. 104, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. PHOTOS AVAILABLE. Please contact Public Affairs.
Delaware Junior Duck Stamp Competition Winners Announced
New Castle’s YuChen Li Wins Best in Show Prize Second Year in a Row
More than 490 entries created by students in grades K through 12 from all over the state were judged on March 31 in this year’s Junior Duck Stamp Contest. Winners were unveiled April 12 during the Delaware Ducks Unlimited Greenwings Event at Owens Station in Greenwood.
YuChen Li, a 14-year-old freshman at the Cab Calloway School for the Arts and first place winner for grades 7 through 9, won best of show for her work, “Dawn Patrol,” which depicts a male hooded merganser on the water at sunrise. She also won last year’s contest.
YuChen arrived in the United States in December 2006 from her native Beijing, China and lives with her mother and stepfather, Zhen and Dan Miller, in New Castle. Her winning Duck Stamp entry will be judged in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of the Interior’s National Junior Duck Stamp contest today at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego, Calif.
Maria Ji, age 12, of Wilmington, a first place winner for grades 7 through 9, attends the Independence School in Newark and was first runner up. Megan Czerwinski, age 17, of Townsend and a first place winner for grades 10 through 12, was second runner up.
Other winners were (name, age, school/sponsor, town of residence):
GRADES K-3
First place: Jiawel Miao, age 7, parent sponsored, Wilmington
Grace Smith, age 8, Smith Family Homeschool, Middletown
Jeh-Leen Zheng, age 8, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Bear
Second place: Juliana Owens, age 8, Pike Creek Christian School, Newark
Brandon Nyandiba, age 6, Pike Creek Christian School, Newark
Robyn Willmot, age 8, Pike Creek Christian School, Wilmington
Third place: Vanessa Rupertus, age 8, St. Anne’s Episcopal School, Middletown
Megan Morrison, age 8, Pike Creek Christian School, Wilmington
Sarah Smith, age 5, Smith Family Homeschool, Middletown
GRADES 4-6
First place: Michael Evans, age 13, Phillis Wheatley Middle School, Bridgeville
Jai Stevenson, age 13, Phillis Wheatley Middle School, Bridgeville
Elizabeth Eppley, age 10, Pike Creek Christian School, Hockessin
Second place: Nicholas Diego, age 11, Milton Elementary School, Milton
Jaime Garcia, age 11, Phillis Wheatley Middle School, Bridgeville
Autumn Shank, age 12, Pike Creek Christian School, Newark
Third place: Lydia Deaton, age 9, Pike Creek Christian School, Hockessin
Saba Owens, age 11, Pike Creek Christian School, Newark
Hannah Smith, age 10, Smith Family Homeschool, Middletown
GRADES 7-9
First place: Emily Buck, age 13, Phillis Wheatley Middle School, Bridgeville
Maria Ji, age 12, The Independence School, Wilmington
Second place: Olivia Xu, age 13, sponsor Shuhong Wang, Hockessin
Melanie Czerwinski, age 12, parent-sponsored, Townsend
Third place: Aaron Prattis, age 15, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
Sanna Zarin, age 15, Woodbridge High School, Bridgeville
Chelsea Blades, age 15, Woodbridge High School, Bridgeville
GRADES 10-12
First place: Benjamin Patterson, age 15, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
David Winston, age 18, Winston Learning Academy, Milford
Megan Czerwinski, age 17, parent-sponsored, Townsend
Second place: Edward Thompson, age 19, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
Diana West, age 16, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
Chelsie Coventry, age 17, Lake Forest High School, Viola
Patrick Clampitt, age 17, Polytech High School, Smyrna
Third place: Stephen Ware, age 15, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
Amanda Fabi, age 16, Lake Forest High School, Felton
Katie Roche, age 17, Woodbridge High School, Greenwood
All participants in the 14th annual contest received a certificate and a prize from Delaware Ducks Unlimited, while first, second, third and honorable mention received ribbons and prizes from sponsors, plus an invitation to the annual Junior Duck Stamp Workshop and Awards Luncheon. Entries, which should depict a species chosen from a list of North American ducks, were sponsored by teachers and parents associated with nine public schools, five private school and 10 homeschools, plus individuals. Sixty-four students received honorable mentions; a list is available on request.
The 2008 Junior Duck Stamp judges were: Division of Fish and Wildlife staff members Matt Dibona, Rob Hossler, Robert Jones, Ken Reynolds and Tom Whittendale, with alternate judge Jamie Joachimowski.
The work of all first place contest winners will be on public display at various locations and special events in the year ahead. For more information about displaying the artwork or about the Delaware Junior Duck Stamp Contest, please contact Trina Cale-Rosario, contest coordinator, 302- 653-2882, ext. 104.
