Attorney General Clark Announces ‘Winner’ of Fifth Annual Earth Day Essay Challenge

In celebration of Earth Day, Attorney General Charity Clark today announced the conclusion of the fifth annual Earth Day Essay Challenge. The annual event began in 2021 with the Attorney General's Office inviting students to submit essays on the environment and Earth Day. This year, the challenge was expanded to include 4th graders along with 5th and 6th graders and invited all types of writing. This year's essay challenge began in February and ran through mid-April.

The Attorney General's Office received 131 essays from students in different parts of Vermont, from Castleton in the western part of the state, to Sharon in the east, and Derby in the Northeast Kingdom. The writing included a rich variety of pieces, from traditional essays to short stories, poems, a biography, and even a comic.

"This year's Earth Day Essay Challenge submissions were creative, thoughtful, and encompassed the many ways we love Vermont's natural landscape," said Attorney General Clark. "I find it uplifting to see the next generation of Vermonters sharing a sense of devotion to these Green Mountains and silver waters that we call home."

The essays submitted to the Attorney General's Office for the Earth Day Essay Challenge are posted on the Office's website for the public to enjoy. To read the students' essays, please visit: https://ago.vermont.gov/attorney-generals-office-divisions-and-units/environmental-protection-unit/earth-day-essay-challenge. Attorney General Clark and members of the Attorney General's Environmental Protection Unit are providing individual feedback to each student who submitted an essay.

Students from the following schools participated in this year's essay challenge:

Braintree Elementary School

Castleton Elementary School

Derby Elementary School

Fletcher Elementary School

Jericho Elementary School

Main Street Middle School (Montpelier)

Orchard Elementary School (South Burlington)

Orwell Village School

Proctor Elementary School

Rochester Elementary School

Sharon Elementary School

Shelburne Elementary School

Walden Elementary School (Danville)

Windsor State Street School

The "winner" of this year's challenge - decided by pulling a name out of a hat - is Logan from Fletcher Elementary School. Attorney General Clark and members of the Environmental Protection Unit are looking forward to visiting Fletcher later this spring.

For more information on the Attorney General Office's environmental work and to keep up to date on the latest activities of the Office, please visit the Office's website: https://ago.vermont.gov/.

CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171