Florence County School District Three’s celebration of Arbor Day culminated Friday, Dec. 1, at J. Paul Truluck Intermediate School with a ceremony recognizing school and district winners in poster and essay contests.
FCSD3’s Arbor Day observance also including planting Southern Magnolia trees at Olanta Elementary School and Lake City High School.
Stanley McKenzie of McKenzie Farms was the guest speaker at the awards ceremony. Mr. McKenzie was born and raised on a farm in the Camp Branch community and has been growing vegetables since the age of 14. He started his nursery in 1999 and specializes in growing and selling fruit trees, especially citrus trees. He has the northern most citrus grove on the East Coast, and last year his grove produced 5,000 pounds of mandarin oranges on the farm. Mr. McKenzie has been selected as Farmer of the Year on two occasions. He is a board member with Farm Bureau Insurance.
The awards ceremony also included performances by the J. Paul Truluck Intermediate School Chorus and the Ronald E. McNair Junior High School show choir, chorus and band as well as the Lake City High School Ensemble.
Students in grades K-12 from through the school district participated in the contests while learning about Arbor Day and the import roles trees and other plants play in our everyday lives.
District-Level contest winners were:
Essay Contest
- 4K/5K Class Winner: Chasie Cattenhead, Olanta Elementary.
- 1st-2nd Grades: Evan McClam, Lake city Early Childhood Center (1st); Christian Rosales, J.C. Lynch Elementary (2nd); and Keyasia Green, Olanta Elementary (3rd).
- 3rd-5th Grades: Keely McClam, J.C Lynch Elementary (1st); Emma Galloway, J.C. Lynch Elementary (2nd); and Genesis Tomlin, Main Street Elementary (3rd).
- 6th-8th Grades: Kinsley Hanner, J. Paul Truluck Intermediate (1st); Makayla Sheppard, Ronald E. McNair Jr. High (2nd); and Payten Velazquez, J. Paul Truluck Intermediate (3rd)
- 9th-12 Grades: Dre'Quez McFadden, Lake City High (1st); Morgan McCutcheon, Lake City High (2nd); and Jackie Bridges, Lake City High (3rd).
Poster Contest
- 1st-2nd Grades: Ansley Brown, Scranton Elementary (1st); Christian Rosales, J.C. Lynch Elementary (2nd); and Miranda Miles, J.C. Lynch Elementary (3rd).
- 3rd-5th Grades: Tray Norwood, J. C. Lynch Elementary (1st); Devari McFadden, Main Street Elementary (2nd); and Jaden Lee, J. C. Lynch Elementary (3rd).
- 6th-8th Grades: Constance Strickland, J. Paul Truluck Intermediate (1st); Trevor Jordan, Ronald E. McNair Jr. High (2nd); and Caitlin Martin, Ronald E. McNair Jr. High (3rd).
- 9th-12th Grades: Marcus Franklin, Lake City High (1st); Ana Segura and Sabrina Bonilla-Perez, Lake City High (2nd); and Melissa Turner and Daziah Johnson-Pendergrass, Lake City High (3rd).
Sponsors for the 2016 Arbor Day activities were Roper Saint Francis Hospital, Whole Foods, Moore Farms Botanical Garden, Mark and Diane Dickson, Scotty Campbell Insurance Agency, South State Bank, Lake City and the Lake City Junior Sorosis Club.
