The winners have been selected for the Earth Day poetry and photo contests.
Highland Park elementary’s Grade 6/7 class entered 15 poems and the Grade 4/5 Montessori students at Hammond elementary submitted 
19 haikus.
Serenity Edwards was the first place poetry winner.
“The theme this year was energy. It was interesting their viewpoints what energy meant for Earth Day,” said judge Joe Robinsmith.
“Her poem talked more about what would happen if we don’t take care of the earth, if we don’t take care of our energy resources. So it struck me that it was more to the point of the theme and it seemed very emotional than some of them.”
Second place was a poem by Wilson Frempong.
“It was more about the earth and what was going to happen if we don’t take care of it. It pulls on emotional strings and it was more to the point of what we want people to think about, conserving and preserving,” said Robinsmith.
It was difficult to choose a winning haiku, he 
added, because he tell the students had spent a lot of time learning about energy and resources.
First place winner was Lily Bourque and second place was Sophie Lyons.
There were three winners for the photography contest.
Winning images included a waterfall at Hayward Lake by Michelle Zazulak, a rainbow by Heather Howson and a barge on the ocean by Jennifer Schultz.
“The waterfall shot really captured the
energy of nature,” said judge Ross Davies.
He said that the rainbow photograph showed energy in the upper atmosphere and the ocean is another energy producer.
The winning photos will be printed and framed for the winners.
They will also be on display around the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park on Earth Day on Saturday.
• Earth Day in Maple Ridge is Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Memorial Peace Park.
Contest winners
Winning poem, by Serenity Edwards, Highland Park
elementary, Grade 6/7:
Electric gravitational pull
in every powerful swing,
danger to all wildlife who
roam near natures end.
Bugs birds bears and others
dance when the days at end,
people rest and all is well
when the electric is dead.
The days are dying for all
people who live on the
Earth’s ball.
Each time we absorb energy
we lose energy resources,
One day we will all fall at
nature’s dead end but it
obviously looks like we
we don’t care.
Second place winner, by Wilson Frempong, Highland Park
elementary, Grade 6/7:
The Earth is a beautiful yet hostile place.
The flowing rivers
the caverns that dwell
below the tall cedar trees that reach the clouds
and stand proud.
The humans crave for power
they destroy the trees
pollute the fresh water
and destroy the homes of life.
The humans must gather so much power
that they will destroy their homes
and their self.
• Winning haiku, by Lily Bourque,
Hammond elementary, Grade 3/4:
Solar sun blowing
Like a fast glow of lightning
A reduced resource
Second place haiku, by Sophie Lyons
Hammond elementary, Grade 3/4:
Please keep the Earth clean
Then the world can stay healthy
And treewise wealthy!