Robert Moton Students Shine with Winning Garden Design

A team of fourth grade students from Robert Moton Elementary School and Catoctin Mountain Park were announced as the winners of the First Bloom Youth Garden Design Contest. 

First Bloom is a program of the National Park Foundation that gives fourth through sixth grade students hands-on experience with the environment and working in national parks, according to the First Bloom website.

Twenty-four teams from around the country competed in the Youth Garden Design Contest to create the best garden design in collaboration with a national park, according to a news release.

Over the course of the 2010-2011 school year, the Robert Moton and Catoctin Mountain Park team designed a native wildflower garden consisting of American holly, New England aster, and milkweed. Their garden was planted in the park’s visitor center on April 26.

The designs for this garden and its competitors were displayed online on the First Bloom website from April 15 to May 16, 2011 for the public voting process. Over the course of the month, a total of over 7,300 votes were accumulated, ultimately naming the Robert Moton and Catoctin Mountain Park team the winner of the competition with over 1,500 votes.

As the winner of the contest, the Robert Moton and Catoctin Mountain Park team will win a prize focused on deepening their relationship with national parks. The team is currently working with the National Park Foundation to design their prize, according to the news release.

To view the youth garden designs, or to learn more about the First Bloom program, visit www.first-bloom.org.