Grade 1 student in contest top 10

A pastel artwork by Cypress Arlt, a Grade 1 student at Hummingbird Montessori School, has been selected as a top 10 finalist in the 2011 TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Earth Day Contest. There were more than 5,000 entries in the contest from across Canada and Cypress (sitting above) was the only Grade 1 student selected for the final round. Contestents were asked to draw something to do with nature.

All 10 final pieces are now posted online for voting at www.tdfef.com/artcontest. The deadline for voting is Friday, November 11.

The artwork with the most votes will win the grand prize,which includes a $7,500 TD FEF grant for their school to support the development of an outdoor classroom or a schoolyard naturalization project. The winner will also win a digital camera and a litterless lunch box for each student in their class. Their artwork will also be featured on a limited-edition TD FEF bag which will be distributed at TD Canada Trust branches nationwide in April.

The nine secondary winners will receive a $500 environmental grant for their school. In addition, the students will each receive a litterless lunch box and $25.