Student Art Submitted In Contest To Decorate Geneva Tree Calendar

GENEVA, IL — The city is hosting an art contest for elementary school students that aims to highlight the importance of trees in Geneva.

There are more than 2,000 spots to plant parkway trees in Geneva, and city officials are inviting students in grades first through fifth to illustrate calendars that depict the importance of trees.

Kids can use tools such as crayons, colored pencils and markers to illustrate their tree artwork on a letter-sized blank sheet of paper. To get ideas for drawings, officials recommend they read about trees' impact on the environment.

"Artwork could express how trees provide habitat for wildlife, clean the air, provide oxygen, offer shade, and create beauty and tranquility," officials said of the Parkway Tree Calendar Student Art Project. "The possibilities are endless."

The contest, hosted by the city's Student Government Committee, will be open until April 17. Parents can enter one original piece of artwork per student online or by dropping it off at Geneva City Hall, 22 S. First St. Pictures should not be turned in folded, officials noted.

Once the deadline passes, the Committee will review the submissions and select works of art from multiple grade levels and schools to include in the calendar.

Winners will also be honored at a City Council meeting and will receive a free copy of the calendar once it's published this summer.

Additional details about the contest and Geneva's parkway trees program can be found on the city's website. Anyone with questions should contact Assistant City Administrator Ben McCready at 630-938-4540 or bmmcready@geneva.il.us.