Conservation-themed posters, essays and speeches captured the attention of students, parents, teachers and conservationists at the annual awards program staged by the Moore County Soil and Water Conservation District Thursday, Feb. 26.

An estimated 105 attended the event held at the Moore County Agriculture Center.

Joshua Lett, a student at West Pine Middle School, won first place in the sixth-grade essay contest. He read his essay to the gathering as part of the program.

Winners of the seventh-grade and eighth-grade speech contests also presented their winning speeches for the audience. Nikita Chintalapudi, who is home-schooled, was winner of the seventh-grade contest. The eighth-grade speech winner was Abbi Middleton, a student at Middleton Academy.

Other winners of the sixth-grade essay contest were: Grey Kittrell, West Pine Middle, second place; Erica Nelson, West Pine, third place; and Nick Conti, West Pine, honorable mention.

Poster contest winners were: third-grade -- Hannah Bradford, first place; Tanna Stafford, second place; Michael Jones Jr., third place; Will Hart, honorable mention, all of Sandhills Farm Life School; fourth-grade -- Rosalind Greisz, first place; Cooper Wrona, second place; Amanda Bass, third place; Savannah Thompson, honorable mention, all of Sandhills Farm Life; fifth-grade -- Dalton Heinauer, first place; Kailee Southworth, second place; Ethan Stepnoski, third place; Mary Beth Jackson, honorable mention, all of Sandhills Farm Life; sixth-grade -- Zach Duthie, first place; Christian Edmonds, second place; Savannah Cooper, third place; Christina Temple, honorable mention, all of West Pine Middle School.

Winning posters were displayed throughout the meeting room.

Jeanette Fuller of the district office staff presided, and members of the Moore District Board of Supervisors took turns presenting the awards. All winners received a medallion, presented in Olympics style, and a huge candy bar. First place winners received a $35 gift card to Walmart, second place winners $25 and third place winners $15.

Everyone was treated to a dinner of pizza, salad and make-your-own sundaes.