Postal Updates

Second-grader’s design featured on Earth Day cancel

Apr 9, 2020, 3 PM
A stamp design by a second-grader at Eagleswood Elementary School in New Jersey was selected by the local postmaster for this pictorial cancel.

Postmark Pursuit by Molly Goad

There are several ways to commemorate Earth Day’s 50-year milestone in your stamp collection. In addition to the United States Postal Service’s new 2020 Earth Day forever stamp and corresponding first-day cancels, the hand-drawn postmark pictured here is available to collectors.

The design comes from a second-grade student at Eagleswood Elementary School in West Creek, N.J. Shaped like a postage stamp, the artwork features hearts surrounding the Earth, which has a little girl perched on top.

Art teacher Angela Stella-Randall was asked by the West Creek, N.J., postmaster to have a class draw Earth Day stamps for the 50th anniversary of the annual event.

“We are a tiny, little school — one class per grade,” she said. “I chose second grade because they are pretty artistic as a class. [Also,] their teacher had just taught them about stamps in Social Studies.”

Stella-Randall said she spoke with the second graders about Earth Day and discussed ways to make a stamp look good in a tiny space. Once the designs were complete, the postmaster selected Kayleigh Winfough’s design to use as a pictorial cancel.

“All of the class’ designs are hanging in the post office, but because of the [COVID-19] situation, I haven’t been able to get there,” Stella-Randall said.

To obtain the postmark, address your request to:

EAGLESWOOD Station, Postmaster, 194 Route 9, West Creek, NJ 08092, April 22.

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