ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County was well-represented at the recent state competition for the 2017 Education Contest for students in primary, elementary, middle and academy schools — and two students brought home awards.

Taran McNeil, a sixth-grader at Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy, took first place in the sixth-grade slide-show contest; Dakota Trice, a ninth-grader at Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy, took second place in the ninth-grade computer-generated poster contest.

The students won the District and Area 7 level competitions before advancing to the state-level competition.

The District is happy to have had so many students participate in our contests this year, and thanks all of the local teachers who made time in their busy schedules to fit in these competitions,” said Karen Davis with the Bladen County Soil & Water Conservation District. “The Soil & Water Conservation District believes that teaching children the importance of conserving our natural resources at an early age will benefit everyone in the future. Congratulations to these state winners.”