The students at Amplus Academy’s Durango campus in Las Vegas experienced a brief interruption during their lessons when their teacher, Wright Burnett-Smith, received an email with exciting news. One of his fifth-grade students, Noel DeVries, was announced as the winner of the Nevada Free Fishing Day Poster Contest.
“The message popped up on my watch and it took me a moment to regroup and get back to the lesson,” said Burnett-Smith. “Noel is an awesome student, and I am thrilled that she was recognized.”
DeVries emerged victorious among more than 300 entries from schools statewide. Her artwork will be featured on the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Free Fishing Day poster distributed to schools and NDOW offices across Nevada. Additionally, her work will appear in the 2025 Nevada Fishing Guide.
“I was pretty surprised when my teacher told me I won,” said DeVries. “I didn’t think I was going to win, but I wanted to really badly!”
Her poster depicts two friends fishing off a dock with a quote from Henry David Thoreau about fishing. “My brother helped me get the idea for the quote,” she said. “He told me about quotes on the internet and I liked the quote I found because it made me think about people spending time together.”
Burnett-Smith expressed his excitement but not surprise at her achievement. “Noel is one grit filled kid. She is determined, thoughtful and always invested in class,” he noted. “From the start of the school year, it was clear that Noel saw the world through an artistic eye.”
Free Fishing Day is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, allowing anglers to fish any public waters in Nevada without a license while adhering to all limits and regulations. More information can be found at www.ndow.org.
Ellie Peixoto from Oasis Academy in Fallon secured second place in the contest while Madelyn Vanbogelen from Coral Academy of Science (Nellis Air Force Base) claimed third place. Both Peixoto and Vanbogelen will receive certificates along with fishing rods and reels for their top-three finishes. As for DeVries, she will receive a framed copy of her artwork along with a fishing rod and reel and will enjoy a family fishing outing.
