Eagle Days Art Contest Winners 6th Annual Bald Eagle Days Festival: Art and Poetry Competition Dickson Mounds Museum hosted an awards ceremony and display of student's art and poetry for the Havana Bald Eagle Days Festival: Art and Poetry Competition. Students in grades 1 - 12 from Mason and Fulton County schools submitted 289 works of art and 200 poems paying tribute to the American Bald Eagle. Competition categories included 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional, (including mixed media), photography, and poetry. Students could enter the competition under three age divisions for each art category; Group 1 (grades 1-4), Group II (grades 5-8), Group III (grades 9 - 12). First, second, and third place awards as well as three honorable mentions in each category were given. All entries were displayed at Dickson Mounds through Saturday, February 28, 2006. On February 4, winning entries will be displayed at the David Allen Badger Art Gallery in Havana during the Havana Bald Eagle Days Festival. In April, the winning entries will be displayed at the Astoria Outdoor Expo. This annual event is sponsored by the Mason and Fulton County Arts Councils, Mason County Library District, The Nature Conservancy and Dickson Mounds Museum.

Group 1 Winners

Two Dimensional Art - Group 1 (Click on the images below to display a larger versions.) First Place Jordan Breedlove, "Mother Eagle with 2 Babies" - Midwest Central Elementary Second Place (Tie)   Sam Edmonson, "Eagle Watching its Prey" - Spoon River Valley Second Place (Tie) Lucas Perrilles, "Soaring Eagle at Sunset" - Spoon River Valleyl Third Place Matt Hetzel, "Freedom Flyer" - Midwest Central Elementary Honorable Mention Eli Wherley, "Eagle" - Astoria Grade School Honorable Mention Elizabeth Otto, "Eagle in a Nest" - Havana New Central Honorable Mention Elizabeth Johnson, "Perched on a Branch" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Austin Taylor, "Catching Food" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Brianna Lawson, "Colorful Eagle" - VIT Elementary   Three Dimensional and Mixed Media Art - Group 1 First Place Joseph Hohenshell, "Mama Eagle" - Midwest Central Elementary Second Place Kelsey Sorrells, "Motherhood" - VIT Elementary Third Place Krystina Short, "Baldy & Babies" - Illini Central Grade School Honorable Mention Carly Becker, "Regal Eagle" - Avon Elementary Honorable Mention Ryan Callear, "Eagle Eat Fish a Lot" - VIT Elementary Honorable Mention Dusti Irwin, "Wild and Free" - VIT Elementary   Poetry - Group 1 First Place Laramee Wright, "Who;s That & That's Who" - VIT Elementary Who's That? Who's that soaring in the sky so high? Who's that in the branch? Who's that in her nest feeding her young? Eagles!!!! Second Place Dylan Hull, "Eagles" - Illini Central Grade School Eagles So graceful Mighty Powerful Birds Eagles fly so high Majestic Third Place Nick Serven, "Eagles" - Havana New Central Eagles Swift endangered Watching swooping, grabbing Flies silently while catching prey Raptor   Honorable Mention Clarissa Hopps, "Father" - Havana New Central Eagles Dangerous ,bold Fishing, soaring, gliding Protective of baby eaglets Father Honorable Mention Alexander Lounsberry, "The Eagle" - Havana New Central Eagle Powerful Brave Gliding soaring fishing Alert and Dangerously Fierce Hunter Honorable Mention Bobby Scaggs, Jr., "Liberty" - Havana New Central Eagle Brave endangered Watching, gliding, fishing Eagles are powerful, and brave. Raptor   Group 2 Winners   Two Dimensional Art - Group 2 First Place Kate Johnson, "The Eagle and the Sea" - Illini Central Middle School Second Place Kristin Allen, "Night Takeoff" - Illini Central Middle School Third Place (Tie) Jacob Buswel, "6 p.m." - VIT Elementary Third Place (Tie) Austin Thomas, "Free" - VIT Elementary Third Place (Tie) Jordan Vaughn, "Born to be Free" - VIT Elementary Honorable Mention Kelci Hull, "Eagle" - Illini Central Middle School Honorable Mention Keaten Miller, "American Eagle" - Lewistown Central School Honorable Mention D Jeffrey Roby, "The Spirit" - Midwest Central Middle School Honorable Mention Angelique Collins, "Fishing" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Courtney McKown,"Reflection" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Madison Thompson, "American Eagle" - Spoon River Valley   Three Dimensional Art - Group 2 First Place Jacob Steele, "The Watchful Eagle" - VIT Elementary Second Place Molly Lascelles, "Waiting for Prey" - VIT Elementary Third Place Bekkah Tingley, "New Life" - VIT Elementary Honorable Mention Carly Beebe, "King of the Sky" - VIT Elementary Honorable Mention Cecily Burnham , "American Glory" - Lewistown Central School   Photography - Group 2 Honorable Mention Garrett Strode, "Sitting Eagles" - VIT Elementry   Poetry - Group 2 First Place Sierra Burris, "Where do Eagles Come From?" - Illini Central Middle School Why do eagles fly, Mom? So they can show how beautiful they are.   Why do Eagles have feathers, Mom? So they can always be warm.   Mom,Why do eagles have beaks? So they can eat lots of fish.   Why do eagles have talons, Mom? So they can catch their prey.   Mom, where do eagles come from? They are gods majestic creatures. Second Place Brianna Skaggs, "The Last Eagle" - Illini Central Middle School Many winters now have passed, Many summers too. Many hearts remain blue.   History books now tell the tail, Of an eagle very brave. Yet no grass grows, Upon his lonely grave.   The story I must tell to you, Is for the weak of the heart. It is a rather adventurous tale, Come and I shall start.   Not so many years ago, Not so far away. In the land of north America An eagle in the nest stays.   Her mate was gone, She had but one egg. She gave one final sigh, As she was on her last leg.   She stayed until her son was born, Until he had last hatched. Her last great deed within this world, Has by no man matched.   Happy and content the eagle grew, Until one day a disease struck. Slaying all in its path, it rampaged on, None were spared, except the duck.   Apprehension gripped the young eagle, And the he made his greatest mistake. He flew out of the gorge ,into the night. All that moved was a small snow flake.   Flying long and hard, the eagle did not rest, Night after day, day after night, I now desperately need sleep, Thought of the eagle in his flight.   Quietly convering with hawk, He found he was last, The last of his kind, the last lone eagle. His fate had now been cast.   Softly turning around, He raced back to his home, The cool quiet lands, Surrounding the city of none.   Eying the destruction this disease had left, He gave vent sorrow gry, Vibrating across ice and snow, The call of the last eagle under the sky.   As his great heart fell never to rise again, A young girl came running to him. Crying when she saw he was gone, She gently laid him on a limb.   In time a better grave was made, Befitting such a great eagle, To write about his great deeds. Was one summer's day made legal. Bravery comes in many forms, A mother unwilling to leave her young, Some trying to save some friends, A girl crying for an eagles songs unsung.   Heed my message, Special creatures fill this earth. Blink your eyes and they're gone. So cherish them from birth. . Third Place Jayson Howard, "The Eagle Eye" - Midwest Central Middle School An eagle soars through the sky, From a distance you can see it fly.   It Lands, Perched on a rock, Looking at you only to mock.   A beautiful creature it seems to be, But far away as the eye can see.   It sits there guarding its nest. Do not go near ,that is best.   It will sense you doubt. Come too close, and it will shout.   Honorable Mention Lacey Harp, "The Beautiful Bald Eagle" - Illini Central Middle School Its flies through the sky during the day, And through sunset skies looking for prey.   It soars over lakes, rivers ,and streams, While the sun shines down with great beams.   After a long day of flying it turns to its nest, This place the eagle definitely likes best.   It rises again the very next day, Looking across the blue sparkled bay.   When the morning light falls. The eagle rises to answer his call.   There comes a hint of early morning dew, With new hope that his strength's renewed. Honorable Mention Alex Hodgins, "The Royal Eagle" - Illini Central Middle School Birds Royal,strong Their wings flap thunder. Majestic, bold Eagles Honorable Mention Iain McGinty, "Eagle Soaring" - VIT Elementary Eagles Soaring Soaring heavenward Harvest the sun Build your power   Skillful flyer swooping down Downward for a catch From the river Capture a feast   Watchful bird from your perch Perch high above the rest Determined to protect your young Until they too soar heavenward Soaring Eagles Group 3 Winners   Two Dimensional Art - Group 3 First Place Zack Butler, "Falling Upside Down" - Spoon River Valley Second Place Meghan Landry, "Eagle at the River" - Havana High School Third Place Damon Taylor, "Composure of a Proud American" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Jacob Maas, "Pearched for Prey" - Spoon River Valley Honorable Mention Delbert Wells, "Eagles in Rage" - Spoon River Valley   Three Dimensional Art - Group 3 First Place Samantha Matheny, "Best Seat in the House" - Avon High School Second Place Michael Calhoun, "Fishing" - Avon High School Third Place Levi Mason, "Eagle in Nest" - Avon High School Honorable Mention Skylar VanTine, "Nesting" - Avon Elementary (Back to News Page)