All of the Cook County Middle School students who took part in the Fall Hike Photo Contest did a wonderful job capturing memories of the day. The grand prize winners were Santina McMillan (left) and Hannah Borson. Two of their beautiful photos are below.
On Monday, October 29, Cook County News-Herald Editor Rhonda Silence had the honor—and very tough task— of judging the Cook County Middle School Fall Hike Photo Contest. Silence said it was an incredibly difficult job, as all of the students did a wonderful job capturing the fall forest.
There were many entries that captured the beautiful colors of the North Shore autumn. Others focused on unique perspectives in nature: an insect crawling on a flower in full bloom, a cluster of fungi on a gnarled stump, a hawk soaring high in the sunlight.
The grand prize was awarded to a composition by Hannah Borson and Santina McMillan. Their display had six striking images arranged in a balanced, appealing format. “What drew me to their poster was the camera angles they used and the way the photos were arranged, with three beautiful horizontal shots drawing attention skyward,” said Silence, adding, “A nice touch was the scattering of tiny maple leaf buttons.”
Four other projects drew special notice for their attention to detail and fine photography. Winning first place were Dyami Blackwell and Ben Trepanier, who created a glossy poster with photo images of a horse—and a horse crossing sign—along with their fall photos.
Second place went to Baylee Cox, Hannah VanderHeiden and Hannah Toftey, who incorporated pieces of the forest— mushrooms, moss, and pine needles—and used birch bark for the poster’s lettering.
Third place went to Lupita Mendevil and Kaylee Pervais whose “Fall at Sweetheart’s Bluff” included beautiful photos of leaves and sunlight through trees.
Special mention went to Sarah Smith and Shylann Vondall who added glitter to their fall forest and made their poster lots of fun with a photo of the “Class of 2018” girls.
Winners received certificates of recognition and a small cash prize. Teacher Sarah Malkovich said, “Thanks to all students for participating!”
Silence echoed the thanks. “It is a wonderful break from my day to stop and look at the displays put together by the middle school students. They all did a great job!”
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