Bonnie Arledge, a second-grader at LCES, captured first place in her grade level in the local, district, state, and regional "Smokey Bear Poster Contest," sponsored by the National Garden Clubs, Inc., the Garden Clubs of Georgia, and the Lincolnton Pine Needle Garden Club in cooperation with the USDA Forestry Service and the National Association of State Foresters. At the regional level, Arledge was competing against second-graders from five states: Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Receiving honorable mention at the competition were LCES students Trisha Norman (third grade) and Jordan Ivey (fifth grade). Arledge is pictured here with her art teacher, Veronica Kelly, and Smokey Bear. She is the daughter of Kevin and Samantha Arledge.