School News

Loudoun Country Day School third grader Carson Clark won first place in the Youth Category at the Washington Post – FotoWeek Photography Contest. Carson, age nine, won in the Animals Category for his image of a beaver swimming in a river in southern West Virginia.

Winners were announced at a reception at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, November 22. Competition finalists will have their work displayed at the FotoWeek Central in Georgetown.

More than 2,000 images were submitted to the contest.  Carson used a Nikon D80 and 70-300mm lens to capture the image. Carson received $250 and a new Nikon Coolpix camera for his school’s art program.

Carson and his Dad have recently completed their first children’s book, Buddy the Beaver, which should be out by next fall. Carson assisted in the writing and the photography for the book.

This is the second time Carson has been recognized for his nature photography. In 2006, Carson was the youngest winner ever in the prestigious Nature’s Best International Photography Contest. Carson’s photograph of a Monarch Butterfly at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Loudoun County was one of more than 12,000 photographs entered into the contest. He received a Highly Honored award for the image. Carson was six at the time he took the photograph.  The photograph was published in the Nature’s Best Magazine and was included in an exhibition of the winning photographs at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The image was also used by eight time Emmy-award winning composer Gary Malkin for his most recent CD, “The Calling.” Carson’s photograph also made it to the final round of the prestigious international calendar “Inner Reflections.” More than 500,000 images from around the world were submitted for consideration. Carson was the youngest photographer ever considered for the calendar.

Carson is a student of Ms. Lacy Detweilter’s third grade class at Loudoun Country Day School. He is also a Tiger Cub Scout with Pack 71, Den 8. Carson is a senior blue belt student at Tiger Claw Tae Kwan Doe in Leesburg and a member of the Central Loudoun Basketball League.

Carson is the son of Jim and Jamie Clark of Leesburg, Virginia. In addition to nature photography, Carson loves Pokémon, birds, Club Penguin, horseback-riding and his cat and dog, Dylan and Brodie. For more information, please contact Amy L. Warner, Director of Communications, at 703/777-3841 at Loudoun Country Day School.