The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's Education and Research Foundation announced the winners of TurfMutt's national "Be a Backyard Superhero" contest. The grand prize winner's school, Guardian Angels Catholic School in Clearwater, Fla., will receive a $10,000 grant to improve a green space on school grounds.

The grand prize winner is fifth-grader Marissa Weber of Palm Harbor, Fla. Marissa's entry was a story depicting TurfMutt and the Outdoor Powers along with an original character "Earthy the Worm" fighting away Dust Demon to encourage healthy soil.

Marissa's teacher, Sandra Hoolihan, received the first-ever National TurfMutt Teacher Award and a trip to the national conference for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The conference was held March 30 to April 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif., and was themed "Sun, Surf & Science."

"I am so thrilled to be chosen to receive the first National TurfMutt Teacher Award," said Sandra. "I am very proud of Marissa, and every student in my class is a backyard superhero. We are looking forward to using the grand prize money to make over green space at our school."

For more information visit www.TurfMutt.com. Program materials are free and aligned to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) standards for grades K-5.