LA PLATA, Md. (April 13, 2011) — Two Charles County Public Schools students — Arthur Middleton Elementary School third grader Joelle Starling, and Piccowaxen Middle School seventh grader Matthew Fan — were recently named national winners in the Space Foundation’s “Human Space Travel in the year 2020,” art contest. The contest is part of Space Foundation’s 27th National Space Symposium being held in Colorado on April 11-14.
Fan received a second place award in the grades 6-8 painting category, and Starling earned third place in the grades 3-5 painting category. They are the only two student winners from Maryland to receive awards in the contest. Earlier this year, the Space Foundation opened the contest to students in grades prekindergarten through grade 12 and received more than 150 entries across 13 states. Entries were judged in four grade levels: PreK through grade 2; grades 3 through 5; grades 6 through 8; and grades 9-12; and in three categories: drawing, painting and multimedia.
Winners will be recognized at a special ceremony on April 13 at the National Space Symposium. All winners received an invitation to attend the ceremony, a Fisher Space pen and a congratulatory ribbon. In conjunction with the Space Foundation, the contest was sponsored by ARES Corporation and Fisher Space Pen Co.
Superintendent of Schools James E. Richmond will also be honored at the National Space Symposium on April 11 as the 2011 winner of the National Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award. Named for Mercury Astronaut Alan Shepard, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to technology education by kindergarten through grade 12 educators or administrators. The Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Richmond as the 2011 winner and the AMF sponsored Richmond’s trip to accept the award.