Beggs wins state Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl contest

Anna Beggs, a rising fifth-grader at LCES, was recently selected as a statewide first-place winner of the "2008 Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest." Anna is pictured here with Smokey Bear and her art teacher, Veronica Kelly.

Anna Beggs, a rising fifth-grader at LCES, was recently selected as the Fourth-Grade Division's statewide first-place winner of the "2008 Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest."

She is the daughter of Elaine and Mike Beggs of Lincolnton.

The contest is sponsored annually by the USDA Forestry Service and the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. The local sponsor is the Pine Needle Garden Club of Lincolnton.

For her entry, Anna chose to paint Woodsy Owl, America's icon for environmental conservation. Since 1971, the famous owl has been inspiring children to observe, explore, and care for the environment, challenging them to "Lend a Hand - Care for the Land."

Anna's watercolor painting features Woodsy Owl, joined by a little girl picking up trash in the background.

"Anna painted a remarkable Woodsy Owl, with plenty of detail," according to Veronica Kelly, art teacher at LCES. "She draws and paints with a great deal of creativity for her age.

"I'm very excited and proud that Anna was selected as the statewide winner - it only confirms her considerable talent," the teacher continued. "It is a much deserved honor."

In closing, Kelly said that Anna has been a pleasure to teach, and she is looking forward to seeing more of her paintings in the future.

As for Anna, she said she loves to draw and paint because "you can create new things and use your imagination."

Commenting on receiving recognition at the state level, the 10 year old simply said, "I was lucky."

When she is not at school or busy painting and drawing at home, Anna enjoys singing and listening to CDs, especially Hannah Montana and Radio Disney; playing on the computer; watching television; riding on the golf cart; swimming; playing the piano; and dancing.

She and her sister, Emily, 13, also like to spend time teaching their sister, Jenny, 6, to work math problems.