Casey Isaacs, a fifth grader at Grant Foreman Elementary, got her first check Thursday night.

The check was a delight for Isaacs, not only because it was unexpected, but also because it was for such a large amount: $150.

She had no immediate plans of how she was going to spend her windfall.

Isaacs was one of four first-place winners in the Muskogee County Solid Waste Committee’s annual Trash-off poster contest.

She won in the third- to fifth-grade division for her poster that featured a drawing of the world, circled with the words “Our choice for life, One earth one chance, Make it grand!”

There were several hundred entries in this year’s poster contest, said Bobby Burgess, who led the awards presentations Thursday night at Northeastern State University Muskogee.

“We are really committed to this contest and to the young people in our county,” Burgess said. “This is one of the highlights of our year.”

This was the first year that Isaacs had entered the contest and, for that matter, the first year she’s entered any art contest.

Her parents, Tom and Pam Isaacs, said their daughter really believes in saving the environment, that she’s always encouraging them to recycle.

Each of the winners honored at the ceremony received checks and certificates. The teachers of the first-place winners also were presented checks for $25 each. All the prize money came from local sponsors.

The winning posters will be forwarded to the statewide Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality contest.



County winners

• Kindergarten to second grade — Taylor Colbert, Irving Elementary, first, teacher Shelly Cooper; Miguel Leon, Webbers Falls, second; Penny Vankirk, Irving Elementary, third; Annika Kerns, Tony Goetz, and Kristen Moore, Webbers Falls, honorable mention.

• Third to fifth grade — Casey Isaacs, Grant Foreman, first, teacher Mary Jo Posey; Gavin Mock, Fort Gibson, second; EmmaLeigh Elrod, Fort Gibson, third; and Chris Dennis and Madalyn Cook, both of Fort Gibson, honorable mention.

• Sixth to eighth grade: Tyson Hume, Webbers Falls, first, Patricia Carter teacher; Aaron Scott, Fort Gibson, second; Talon Ford, Fort Gibson, third; Jacob Scott, Fort Gibson and Haley Schuler, Tony Goetz, honorable mention.

• Ninth to 12th grade — Jessica Guidice, Webbers Falls, first, Warren Glad, teacher; Michael Newton, Boynton, second; Jaylan Daniels, Boynton, third; and Shante Williams and Boushee Bowie, both of Boynton, honorable mention.