THE NEWS IS OUT!
THE AIS FOUNDATION ACKERMAN ESSAY WINNERS WERE ANNOUNCED
AT THE AMERICAN IRIS SOCIETY AWARDS BANQUET IN NEW ORLEANS!
by Debbie Strauss, AIS Foundation Ackerman Essay Contest Chair
The AIS and the AIS Foundation sponsor a yearly
activity for our youth to participate in. It is the
Ackerman Youth Essay Contest. This year the theme
offered an opportunity for the youth to learn what
the first president of AIS thought about iris, then put
their ideas in writing on why his statement is true. The
2018 theme for the Ackerman Essay Contest was:
The first president of the American iris Society,
John C. Wister said, “The iris is the mainstay of
the hardy garden.” Write three examples of
why you agree with him.
This year in the 12-and-under category there were
51 entries and five entries in the 13-and-over category.
Thank you to everyone who entered this year’s
contest. And thank yous go to all the adults who
mentored and encouraged our youth to write for this
contest. Thank you also to the judges who read the
entries and selected our winners. You all worked hard
and diligently.
The winners were:
12 YEARS AND UNDER
1st Place The Iris Remains the “Lovely Lady of the
Landscape” — Katharina Brase, Region 21
2nd Place Irises: The Centerpiece of a Healthy
Garden —
Samantha Anderson, Region 14
3rd Place The Lords of Light —
Maddox Kao, Region
18
13 YEARS AND OVER
1st Place “Iris Essay” — Lewis Glasscock, Region 7
2nd Place What I Have To Say About What John
Wister Had to Say About Irises — Carson Kizer,
Region 18
3rd Place The Iris is the Mainstay of the Hardy
Garden — Amberlee Pick, Region 14
The awards for the Ackerman Youth Essay Contest
sponsored by the AIS Foundation are grand. This year
Paul Black has graciously donated to our winners,
also. There were two prizes of $100 each (donated
by the AIS Foundation) for the first-place winner,
$50 for second place and $25 for third place in each
age group. The first through third place winners also
received a coupon for a 2018 new introduction from
Paul Black. The second and third places are a new
part of the awards this year…there was a second and
a third-place essay winner picked in both age groups.
Everyone that entered received a lovely participation
certificate.
The AIS foundation board approved something
new for the 2019 contest. It was my first year to be
involved with this wonderful program and to learn
about the AIS foundation. I realized that the youngest
AIS members were competing with some of the
oldest AIS youth members in the same age group. So,
I asked the AIS Foundation Board to approve adding
another age group. They agreed and the 2019 Youth
Essay Contest will have three age groups, therefore
awarding three first, three second, and three third
places; one in each age group! The new age groups
are 9 and under, 10–
12, and 13 and over.
The 2019 Ackerman Youth Essay Contest theme is:
“If you could plant an iris garden anywhere
in the world, where would it be, which irises
would you choose to plant, and what would
you like visitors to your garden to learn?”
Hey, all AIS youth! Spend some time writing to the
new theme over the summer. You can win, too.
Anyone who would like a copy of the 2018 winning
entries can send me an email at debbie@loveirises.
com.
d
Summer 2018 AIS Bulletin 17