AUGUSTA – Lindsay Thornton, a fifth-grade pupil at Weatherbee School in Hampden, is the state winner in the 2003 Arbor Day National Poster Contest. She will be honored during Maine Arbor Week in Augusta, which is the third full week in May.

More than 200 fifth-grade pupils from 12 schools participated this year. As the winner, Thornton will receive a $100 savings bond, a tree planted in her honor at her school, and several tree-related books and materials. Thornton is a finalist in the national contest.

Carly Chapman, a pupil at the Chelsea School, is the first runner-up. Brenn Alexander, a pupil at Mountain View School in Sullivan, is second runner-up. Both will receive prizes from the National Arbor Day Foundation and the Maine Department of Conservation.

The national winner for this year’s poster contest will be announced on National Arbor Day, April 25. The winner, two parents, and the teacher of the winning pupil will receive an expense-paid trip to Nebraska City, Neb. The winner also will receive a $1,000 savings bond and lifetime membership in the national Arbor Day Foundation. The winning teacher will receive $200 for classroom materials.