Lafayette 4th Grader Wins Essay Contest On Enjoying The Outdoors

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (CBS4)- A 4th grader in Lafayette won a statewide essay contest in honor of an 82-year-old tree from Colorado sent to the White House. Alessandra Wilson goes to Peak to Peak Elementary School.

Nearly 100 children entered the "Experience Your Nature" contest and were asked to write about how the outdoors has helped them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wilson says she loves writing and loves feeling free in Colorado's nature.

"I think it took me about, maybe a week. I had to start from the perspective of my dog because I really love creative writing. Then I just transformed it into what I did as a human," she told CBS4.

Gov. Jared Polis and First Gentleman Marlon Reis chose the top three essays.

"To select the winning essays, we outlined three key criteria criteria: mention of how nature has been a way to relax and de-stress during the course of the COVID019 pandemic; mention of specific trips and places in Colorado; and quality of writing," said Reis. "The Governor and I enjoyed reading these essays and learning how much the outdoors mean to students across our state."

Wilson titled her essay "Quandary is Home." In it, she wrote about family trips in Poudre Canyon, Telluride, and Breckenridge, and the feeling of freedom that is brought by breathing freely in nature.

Polis proclaimed Nov. 30, 2020 as "Experience your Nature Day" in honor of the 16 essay finalists.

The essay contest is operated in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service's "Every Kid Outdoors" initiative.