Around the Corner pupils earn honors for duck work
Creating one-of-a-kind images of ducks for the federal junior duck stamp contest yielded four finalists and 13 ribbons for students of the Around the CornerArt Center, Freehold Township.

A.J. Pandina won first place in Group I, grades K-3; Ramya Boggavruppa and Kaela Thompson each received second place honors in the same category; and Eva Marie Fitzsimmons received third place honors in Group III, grades 7-9.

Around the Corner Art Center owner Merrill Tilker said winning the awards is "great" and "a phenomenal thing" for the students. He said art instructorAnnMarie Fitzsimmons, who headed up this project, took time to teach the children about the importance of environmental conservation, in addition to instructing them on the art of creating ducks on paper.

The first place design fromthe national contest will be used to create a junior duck stamp for the following year. Junior duck stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service for $5 per stamp. Proceeds from the sale of the stamps support conservation education, and provide awards and scholarships for the students, teachers and schools that participate in the program.

Although the Around the Corner Art Center students will not get to see their artwork on a real stamp, they have been invited to attend an awards ceremony at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor in June at which time they will receive their prizes.

Fitzsimmons said that as finalists, the four youngsters will have their duck artwork displayed at various venues across the state and country.

According to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service Internet Web site, more than 27,000 students in the United States, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands submit entries annually to a state or territory junior duck stamp contest.

Preparation for the contest and involvement in the program requires students to think about and understand the fundamental principles of anatomy and environmental science. The program also provides an opportunity for students "to learn science and express their knowledge of the beauty, diversity and interdependence of wildlife artistically," Fitzsimmons said.

Fitzsimmons said that the junior duck stamp program, created in 1989, is based on the federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp (federal duck stamp), which was created in 1934.

The following Around the Corner Art Center students were awarded ribbons for their artwork in the contest: Preethi Chandron, honorable mention, Group I, grades K-3; Stephanie Kawas, Jillian Walker, Casie Walker, Julia Ward, Yamimi Sasidhar and Danielle Zahn, honorable mention, Group II, grades 4-6; and Nicole Etilow and Erica Kawas, honorable mention, Group III, grades 7-9.

In addition, the following Around the CornerArt Center students participated in the contest: Jeevan Boggavruppa, Gautam Boggavruppa, Alexandria Carolan and Stephanie Miller.

- Clare Marie Celano