Six Merced County student authors have been named regional winners of California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom’s Imagine this... Story Writing Contest. From almost 10,000 essays written by 3rd-8th grade students across the state, the following students were selected for their creativity, writing skills, and positive interpretation of California agriculture industry:

*Xavier Walle, 4th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for his story, The Importance of Oranges
*Grace Reyes, 5th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for her story, Honeybee Worker Day
*Marco Sobrevilla, 6th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for his story, Grape Bully
*Tucker Kidwiler, 7th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for his story, The Mature and Wise Apple Tree
*Camila Fragoza, 8th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for her story, The Disappointed Blueberry
*Juan Walle, 8th grade, St. Anthony School (Atwater) for his story, Sam and His Cow, Larry

Hundreds of California teachers participate in this annual contest by assigning their students the task of researching an aspect of the agriculture industry, and challenge them to incorporate these facts into their own creative story. The success of this contest is largely attributed to the fact that it meets state English-Language Arts teaching requirements, and also provides an opportunity for students to explore topics they have limited knowledge of.

“Despite being the nation’s top producing agriculture state, many Californians have limited knowledge about the industry that produces their food, clothing and shelter. Imagine this… gives students a way to explore the world of agriculture even if they’ve never stepped foot on farmland,” said Ag in the Classroom Executive Director, Judy Culbertson. Regional winners receive a plaque, a book about agriculture and resources for their teachers.

State winners of the contest were announced in January, and will have their stories printed and visually adapted into a book, also entitled Imagine this... featuring illustrations by students from California high school art departments. The book will debut during National Agriculture Week in March in Sacramento.

The contest’s purpose is to promote reading, writing and the arts and to further the public’s understanding of agriculture. Stories are posted online at http://www.LearnAboutAg.org/imaginethis. For more information, contact Stephanie Etcheverria, Program Coordinator at 800-700-AITC.