State Capitol, Albany, New York, May 5, 2006 -- State Senator Owen H. Johnson (4th Senate District, Babylon), Chairman of the Finance Committee, announced today that three local students have won recognition in the Senate’s 15th Annual I*MA*GREEN*NATION competition.

Local winners whose projects were chosen include Tom Rossi and Andrew Seaman from Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Lindenhurst, who received second place in the Division II Audio/Video category, and Kaitlin Reyes from the Forest Avenue Elementary School in West Babylon, who received third place in the Division I Science & Technology category. The students will be honored at a celebration held on May 9th at the State Capitol in Albany, where they will have the chance to display their projects and engage in a full day’s worth of fun activities.

Students from all over the state in grades one through eight submitted projects in the competition which tests their knowledge and understanding of various environmental issues facing our world today.

"I am very proud of all the students that participated in the I*MA*GREEN*NATION competition," said Senator Johnson. "It is great to see young people take an interest in the environment and demonstrate the importance of such issues in the community."