McPHERSON — Not only did the local winner of this year’s Arbor Day Tree Poster contest do well in McPherson, fifth-grader Noelle Schmidt’s design caught some eyes on the state level as well.

It was announced this week that a poster drawn by Schmidt, a fifth grader at Eisenhower Elementary School, was selected as the Southeast Kansas District winner by the Kansas Forest Service.

Each year, the City of McPherson — a Tree City USA for 45 years — asks local fifth graders to participate in the annual contest, which is aimed at teaching the importance of trees. Fifth grade educators are given a lesson plan with an abundance of information about trees and their role in the ecosystem.

The winning poster locally was selected by members of the City of McPherson Tree/Park Board then sent to the district. Schmidt’s design was one of 670 sent in across the state and was chosen as the top choice in the district, making it one of the final four entries at the state level.

The City of McPherson would like to congratulate Schmidt on a job well done and thank all of the participants in this year’s activity.

For winning locally, Schmidt and her classmates will be invited to participate in an Arbor Day activity in April, where they will take part in a tree planting in one of the City’s parks. Her poster also will be framed and hung up in the Municipal Center.

For being selected as the district winner, Schmidt and her classmates will receive seedlings and the Kansas Forest Service will donate an extra tree to be planted for the honor.