PROTECTORS OF TULE SPRINGS NEWS RELEASE
Oct. 9, 2017
Local student art recognized to mark National Fossil Day
Celebration event held at Las Vegas Natural History Museum on Saturday, October 14, 2017
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Natural History Museum, in partnership with the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival, Protectors of Tule Springs and the Clark County School District School-Community Partnership Program, recently held an art contest for local students, kindergarten through 12th-grade.
Students were invited to submit original art for the contest theme, “Southern Nevada during the Pleistocene” with their creative depictions about how Southern Nevada may have looked during the Ice Age. Almost 170 entries were received and reviewed by a panel of 13 judges.
A student art exhibit and awards ceremony will be held at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum in celebration of National Fossil Day on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. Select artwork will be on display in the Grand Hall at the museum through Nov. 10.
The Protectors of Tule Springs (POTS), a nonprofit organization that supports the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, will also present information about the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, including information on Ice Age mammals, the history of the area, what the future holds and more.
Local paleontologists will be working in the Richard A. Ditton Learning Lab, a collaborative effort between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, and a variety of fossil discovery activities are planned, including the opportunity to view scientists prepare, clean and repair fossils collected right here in Southern Nevada.
Three winners of the “Southern Nevada during the Pleistocene” art contest will be awarded in each of five categories. First-place winners and their teachers will receive one hundred dollars as well as POTS memorabilia and one-year membership. All participants will receive one complimentary ticket to the museum and a POTS book bag.
Calendars featuring artwork from the National Fossil Day Art Contest will be given to the winning students and will be on sale to benefit the Protectors of Tule Springs.
Kindergarten through 2nd-grade category:
First place: “Oh Beautiful Ice Age!” by Khloe Wright, 2nd-grader at James Bilbray Elementary School.
Second place: “Mammoth in Vegas” by Sofia Cuellar, 2nd-grader at John W. Bonner Elementary School.
Third place: Khloe Hernandez, 2nd-grader at John W. Bonner Elementary School.
3rd-grade through 5th-grade category:
First place: “Ice Age in Southern Nevada” by Matilda Reber, 3rd-grader at Eileen B. Brookman Elementary School.
Second place: “The Elephant of the Amazon” by Esha Maharaj, 4th-grader at Wayne N. Tanaka Elementary School.
Third place: “Days Long Ago” by Janelle Greene, 3rd-grader at Bertha Ronzone Elementary School.
6th-grade through 8th-grade category:
First place: “Marching Together at Midnight” by Marcellus Brown, 8th-grader at Justice Myron Leavitt Middle School.
Second place: “Uncovering the Past” by Harley Swedyk, 6th-grader at Hyde Park Middle School.
Third place: Hailey Hanna, 8th-grader at Calvary Chapel Christian School.
9th-grade through 12th-grade category:
First place: “Southern Nevada During the Ice Age” by Arianna Zare, 12th-grader at Shadow Ridge High School.
Second place: “Nevada During the Ice Age” by Ashley Hall, 12th-grader at Shadow Ridge High School.
Third place: Juan Velazquez, 12th-grader at Shadow Ridge High School.
Digital art category:
First place: “Late Night Snack” by Nico Loreto, 12th-grader at Southeast Career and Technical Academy.
Second place: “Pleistocene Through a Horse’s Eye” by Kailey Misso, 11th-grader at Southeast Career and Technical Academy.
Third place: “Night Scene” by Naomi Ochoa, 12th-grader at Southeast Career and Technical Academy.