SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- Marissa Stacholy, an eighth-grade student at First Montessori School of Atlanta and the daughter of Lisa and Jan Stacholy of Dunwoody, has been chosen as a national finalist in the River of Words Poetry & Art Contest. Sponsored by the Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint Mary's College of California, the contest is the largest international youth poetry and art competition in the world.

The judging panel, which included former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass, selected less than 100 poems and pieces of art from tens of thousands of entries.

Marissa will receive a medal, and her poetry will be included in the ROW's anthology. A copy of the book will be donated in her name to First Montessori School of Atlanta and her public library branch.

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. -- Twenty-six students at First Montessori School of Atlanta recently participated in a BioBlitz. Assisted by Eric King, owner of King Landscaping, and Jillian Elleby, an FMSA science teacher, the students worked in two-person teams using a camera and log book to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi and other organisms as possible in a natural area on the school campus.

FMSA's seven-acre campus is located in a residential area in Sandy Springs and includes open as well as wooded property.

"The BioBlitz was a fun and exciting way for our students to learn about biological diversity and how best to protect an ecosystem," said Upper Elementary School Teacher Livia Osorio.

Also known as a biological inventory or a biological census, the primary goal of a BioBlitz is to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi and other organisms that live in a place.