By Victor Chen, bostonese.com
Acton, Mass., May 12, 2015, — An award ceremony of the MA Junior Duck Stamp program was held at on May 2 at Worcester Technical High School. Pam Landry, Education Coordinator, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) welcomed about 200 students and parents to the ceremony. Over 60 of the 100 artwork selected from about 500 submissions were from students in Acton, Boxboro and Lexington.
Pam Landry(first from left, back row), Hongbin Tang(second from left, back row) and students of Apple-Leaf Studio pose for a picture(photo by Victor Chen).
The Junior Duck Stamp program is sponsored in the state by MassWildlife, and US Fish & Wildlife Service with support from Massachusetts Ducks Unlimited, and Massachusetts Wildlife Federation,
According to Ms. Landry, who made a PowerPoint presentation at the ceremony, the mission of the Junior Duck Stamp program is “Connecting Children with Nature through Science and Art.” Students learn the importance of wetlands to the ecosystem when they create artwork of wild ducks that thrive in ponds and streams in our neighborhood.
Ms. Landry pointed outside the classroom window to a couple white-tailed deers along side a small stream near the school. She mentioned that wetlands are natural habitat for wildlife like white-tailed deers.
The five judges for this year’s MA Junior Duck Stamp are: Barry Van Dusen – internationally recognized wildlife artist, John Green Jr. – interpretive naturalist, Dave Moran – professional wildlife/waterfowl carver, David Small – naturalist & avid birder, Joan DeSantis – retired after 35 years of teaching elementary art.
Ms. Hongbin Tang, the instructor of Apple-Leaf Studio in Boxboro, attended the ceremony with her twin sons. She was very proud of 15 of her students receiving awards or honorable mention this year. Most of her students live in Acton or Boxboro. She thanked MassWildlife for putting together this year’s Junior Duck Program that gave her students great oppertunitites to learn about the nature while working on their artwork.
Artwork by Jeffery Ge, second grade student of Blanchard Memorial School in Boxboro.
The list below were students from Apple Leaf Studio.
GROUP I:
Jeffery Ge – 1 st place
Lilac Shi – 1 st place
Eric Zhao – 2nd place
Emily Yang – 3rd place
Ashley Gu – Honorable mention
Lilly Ji – Honorable mention
Oscar Li – Honorable mention
Rachel Zhang – Honorable mention
Eddy Zhao – Honorable mention
GROUP II:
Bella Jiang – Honorable mention
Crystal Zhang – Honorable mention
GROUP III:
Emily Zhao – 2nd place
Jasmine Huang – Honorable mention
Irene Ji – Honorable mention
Jennifer Yuan – Honorable mention
A combination of the top 100 pieces of art will be on exhibit throughout the Commonwealth during 2015-2016. Check the MassWildlife website for an updated schedule at www.masswildlife.org. Call Pam Landry at (508) 389-6310 to determine if your artwork of interest is on exhibit.
Olivia Wang of Tong Pei Studio shows her artwork that won the first place award of group II(photo by Victor Chen).
You can help support the Junior Duck Stamp Program. Proceeds from the purchase of the $5 Junior Duck Stamp are used to support the program and go toward youth conservation education, awards for students, schools participating in the program, and marketing of the JDS program. You may purchase stamps from the U.S. Postal Service website: www.usps.com or Amplex Corporation: www.duckstamp.com/mm5.
2015-2016 TRAVELING EXHIBIT SCHEDULE, MASSACHUSETTS JUNIOR DUCK STAMP ART
June 2 – July 31, 2015 Custom House Maritime Museum, Newburyport
Contact: Mike Mroz (978) 462-8681
Sept 20-Oct 27, 2015 MA Audubon – Arcadia, Easthampton
Contact: Patti Steinman (413) 584-3009 x 14
Oct 1-Oct 29, 2015 Borderland State Park, N. Easton
Contact: Ellenor Simmons (508) 238-6566
Sept 1 – Oct 31, 2015 Millers River Environmental Center, Athol
Contact: Dave Small ([email protected])
(www.atholbirdclub.org)
Nov 6-Dec 18, 2015 Wachusett Regional High School, Bowes Gallery, Holden
Contact: Suzanne Breen (508) 829-6771
Brian Keddy ([email protected])
Dec 1, 2015-Jan 31, 2016 Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls
Contact: Laurel Carpenter (413) 863-3676
Jan 8-Feb. 15, 2016 Buttonwood Park Zoo, New Bedford
Contact: Jen Collier (508) 991-6178
March 1-31, 2016 Notre Dame Academy, Flagg Gallery, Worcester
Contact: Mary Zywar (508) 757-6200 x 253
The following is winner list of 2015 MA Junior Duck Stamp
| Group I | ||||
| place | firstname | lastname | School Name | Town |
| 1st Place | Jeffery | Ge | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| 1st Place | Lilac | Shi | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| 1st Place | Stephanie | Wan | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 2nd Place | Zoe | Huang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 2nd Place | Ashley | Zhao | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 2nd Place | Eric | Zhao | Zhao Homeschool | Boxborough |
| 3rd Place | Grayson | Bowse | CDR Homeschool | Montague |
| 3rd Place | Emily | Yang | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| 3rd Place | Chloe | Zhong | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Herman | Chen | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Ariana | Durkin | NOA Gallery & Art School | Groton |
| Honorable Mention | Ashley | Gu | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Alexander | Han | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Erin | Huang | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Lilly | Ji | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Oscar | Li | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Selena | Liu | Liu Home School | Wayland |
| Honorable Mention | Vivian | Liu | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Cailyn | Lui | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Heather | Lui | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Evan | Ning | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Ian | Pang | Covenant Christian Academy | West Peabody |
| Honorable Mention | Curtis | Ying | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Rachel | Zhang | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Eddy | Zhao | Zhao Homeschool | Boxborough |
| Group II | ||||
| place | firstname | lastname | School Name | Town |
| 1st Place | Dora | Chen | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 1st Place | Bei | Qi | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| 1st Place | Olivia | Wang | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| 2nd Place | Jesse | Ding | Wilmington Middle School | Wilmington |
| 2nd Place | Sophie S. | Hua | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| 2nd Place | Annie | Wang | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| 3rd Place | Eleanor | Martin | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| 3rd Place | Jessica | Shang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 3rd Place | Helen | Tang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Jessica | Chen | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Julie | Chen | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Clara | Fritz | CDR Homeschool | Montague |
| Honorable Mention | Isaac | Han | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Bella | Jiang | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Cynthia | Kong | Shi Lin Art Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Anisha | Kundu | Ephraim Curtis Middle School | Sudbury |
| Honorable Mention | Jasmine | Lai | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Abigail | Lee | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Alice | Wang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Amy | Wang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Jacqueline | Wang | Fun Learning Place | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Gabrielle | Williams | Mom’s Studio | New Bedford |
| Honorable Mention | Hanming | Xiong | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Aliya | Yang | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Crystal | Zhang | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
Group III
| place | firstname | lastname | School Name | Town |
| 1st Place | Michelle | Cao | Shi Lin Art Studio | Acton |
| 1st Place | Raissa | Li | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 1st Place | Isabella | Xie | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 2nd Place | Annie | Qian | Shi Lin Art Studio | Acton |
| 2nd Place | Brian | Zhang | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| 2nd Place | Emily | Zhao | Zhao Homeschool | Boxborough |
| 3rd Place | Marina | Spenciner | Attleboro Arts Museum | Attleboro |
| 3rd Place | Julia | Tang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 3rd Place | Jerry | You | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Tina | Gong | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Jasmine | Huang | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Kelly | Hui | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Irene | Ji | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | MacKenzie | Lagoy | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Amy | Li | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Yihan | Luo | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Jared | Muzyka | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Maxime | Pitchon | Academy Hill School | Springfield |
| Honorable Mention | Walter | Shen | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Macalistair | Sloan-Anderson | Cudnohufsky Watercolors | Ashfield |
| Honorable Mention | Andrew | The | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Lulu | Tian | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Gracia | Xu | Tong Pei Studio | Acton |
| Honorable Mention | Jennifer | Yuan | Apple-Leaf Studio | Boxborough |
| Honorable Mention | Joy | Zhou | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Group IV | ||||
| place | firstname | lastname | School Name | Town |
| 1st Place | Minsuh | Lim | Bradford Christian Academy | Bradford |
| 1st Place | Hannah | Zhang | Sharon High School | Sharon |
| 2nd Place | Jaime | Byrne | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| 2nd Place | Yu | Wang | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| 2nd Place | Grace | Young | The Bromfield School | Harvard |
| 3rd Place | Jeremy | Branch | Bradford Christian Academy | Bradford |
| 3rd Place | Margaret | dePont | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| 3rd Place | Juliette | Rice | Wachusett Regional High School | Holden |
| Best Of Show | Claire | Schaffer | Tahanto Regional High School | Boylston |
| Honorable Mention | Hannah | Bernotas | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Martina | Brown | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| Honorable Mention | Gaetan | Dupont | Home Art | Concord |
| Honorable Mention | Madison | Gagnon | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| Honorable Mention | Karen | Keller | Chelmsford High School | Chelmsford |
| Honorable Mention | Kelly | Kowal | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Thomas | Kumlin | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| Honorable Mention | Cassie | Lane | Wachusett Regional High School | Holden |
| Honorable Mention | Peter | Liu | Bradford Christian Academy | Bradford |
| Honorable Mention | Delaney | Lynch | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| Honorable Mention | Jack | Mastrotome | Wachusett Regional High School | Holden |
| Honorable Mention | Mariah | Morse | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Erika | Poissant | Frontier Regional School | South Deerfield |
| Honorable Mention | Kacey | Sharpe | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |
| Honorable Mention | Claudia | Sun | Luckie Art Studio | Lexington |
| Honorable Mention | Rachel | Ware | Bishop Feehan High School | Attleboro |