The 64th annual Resource Conservation Speech Contest State Finals was held at the State Capitol in Pierre last month (March 29, 2025). The contest theme was “Let Your Natural Resources Teach You Their Lessons.” Winning first place and a $1,200 scholarship was Sawyer Grimsley. Grimsley was sponso red by the Lawrence County Conservation District and is a junior at Spearfish High School. He is the son of Ron Grimsley of Spearfish. Winning second place and a $1,000 scholarship was Amna George. George was sponsored by the Brown County Conservation District and is a junior at Aberdeen Central High School. She is the daughter of Shalini Mathew and Edward George of Aberdeen. Winning third place and a $800 scholarship was Caden Schwader. Schwader was sponsored by the Miner County Conservation District and is a junior at Howard High School. He is the son of Dale and Kristi Schwader of Howard. South Dakota high school students first participated in a local contest sponsored by their conservation district. Two students from each district are eligible to participate in an area contest. From there, the top two winners from each of the designated areas advance to the state finals. ...read more read less