12th Annual SwampFest Student Art Competition Winners Announced

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service on Oct. 10, 2014. It is reproduced in full below.

Congaree National Park is pleased to announce the winners of the 12th Annual SwampFest Student Art competition. Co-sponsored by the Southeast Rural Community Outreach (SERCO) and the Friends of Congaree Swamp, the competition is an opportunity for young artists from the Midlands to showcase their talent while celebrating Congaree National Park's diverse wilderness resources. This year's theme was "Wilderness is closer than you think". Students were asked to submit art to their teachers, depicting plants, animals, water, or recreational opportunities found within Congaree National Park's wilderness. Park staff from a wide range of disciplines selected first place and honorable mentions. The first place winners will each receive a $50 cash prize, provided by the Friends of Congaree Swamp. All entries will be displayed at Congaree National Park's Harry Hampton Visitor Center through December.The facility is open 9:00 am-5:00 pm Tuesday-Saturday and closed on all Federal Holidays.

SwampFest is a local heritage tourism event, which took place the first weekend in October.Programs were sponsored by SERCO at the Harriet Barber House and Old Mt. Moriah church site in Lower Richland County.Congaree National Park hosted the art competition and special programs in conjunction with the festival.

Congaree National Park protects the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States, with approximately 21,710 acres (82 percent of the park's total acreage) as designated wilderness. The Wilderness Act, signed into law in 1964, established the highest level of conservation protection for federal lands. Visitors can engage in non-motorized recreation in wilderness areas, including hiking, paddling, fishing, and camping. For more information about Congaree visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Kindergarten

First Place: Margot Murray, Catawba Trail Elementary

Honorable Mention: Anthony Gloriani, Catawba Trail Elementary

1st Grade

First Place: Kaitlyn McFarland, Catawba Trail Elementary

Honorable Mention: Thomas Sheppard, Home School

2nd Grade

First Place: Kayla Kim, Catawba Trail Elementary

Honorable Mention: Emily Lee, Catawba Trail Elementary

3rd Grade

First Place: Sahm Valafar, Catawba Trail Elementary

Honorable Mention: HM: Kennedy Sasser, Catawba Trail Elementary