Abbie Teefy and Tyler McDevitt, both fifth grade students at Dennis Township Elementary School, recently won recognition in the annual Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey Species on the Edge competition.
Annually more than 2,000 fifth grade students statewide submit essays and artwork about New Jersey’s threatened or endangered species in the state-wide competition.
A long time tradition in Dennis Township, the fifth grade teachers incorporate the contest into instruction and students work on submissions as part of classroom assignments.
This year, Teefy won first place for Cape May County and McDevitt took runner up.
Both students are in Jen Peabody’s homeroom and she is thrilled for their accomplishment.
Peabody explains that students choose a threatened or endangered animal, research it, then write an essay and draw a picture. Teefy chose the Roseate Tern and McDevitt picked the Osprey.
“Our students work very hard on this project each year and they all deserve a lot of credit for their research and writing as well as their artwork,” Peabody states.
Each year, the contest winners from around the state are invited to an awards ceremony in Trenton as well as to participate in an ecological adventure coordinated by the foundation.
The students’ artwork and essays are also featured in a calendar available through the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey website.