Six students from schools in the Otay Water District are the winners of the annual Student Poster Contest. More than 53 students submitted entries from schools in Chula Vista, El Cajon, and Spring Valley. The poster art depicts the value of water and using water wisely.
Six students from schools in the Otay Water District are the winners of the annual Student Poster Contest. More than 53 students submitted entries from schools in Chula Vista, El Cajon, and Spring Valley. The poster art depicts the value of water and using water wisely.
Students in all grades were asked to create and submit a poster illustrating the theme “Being water wise is…” The District selected winners for the elementary and middle school categories. No high school entries were submitted.
“We are impressed by the representation of water conservation and stewardship in each participant’s artwork,” said Eileen Salmeron, communications assistant and contest coordinator. “Through this program, we find confidence that the young generations have a great awareness of the importance of taking good care of our most precious resource for the future needs of our region.”
First place: Sophia Garvida, seventh grade, Bonita Vista Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District
Second place: Andrian Oraha, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District
Third place: Alyssa Burkard, sixth grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District
First place: Elias Mendoza, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District
Second place: Katherine Soehn, sixth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District
Third place: Sofia Cardenas Loera, fifth grade, STEAM Academy. Photo: Otay Water District
The six winners will be honored at the Otay Water District monthly Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, August 2. Each winner will receive a gift card, certificate, art kit, and goody bag.
In addition, the winning posters are entered in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual student poster contest. MWD selects posters from participating water agencies across Southern California to feature in its 2024 regional student art calendar.
Otay Water District students have an impressive record of being selected.
Two students from the Otay Water District had their artwork featured in the 2023 MWD calendar. Khilee Haull is a seventh grader at Hillsdale Middle School and won first place in the middle school contest. Christian-Kealoha Rogacion is in the fifth grade at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and won second place in the elementary school category. Sisters Lucia Perez Valles and Sofia Perez Valles had their work featured in the 2021 MWD calendar.
To learn more about the District’s contest and other education programs, visit otaywater.gov/education-programs.
(Editor’s note: The Otay Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority’s Work for Water Scholarship provides funding for people who are interested in pursuing a career in the water industry. The scholarship is available to anyone living in the Authority’s service area.
Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to new or currently enrolled students at the Center for Water Studies at Cuyamaca College or another accredited college, community college or trade school with a career goal in the water industry.
“There is a lot of opportunity for great careers in the water industry, especially now that we’re experiencing the ‘Silver Tsunami’ of retirements across the entire sector,” said Board Chair Hector Martinez. “Every water agency, including Sweetwater Authority, is seeing a large number of job openings over the next few years. We want to encourage and support individuals in our community who are interested in working in the water industry.”
The full scholarship criteria and application are available at www.sweetwater.org/scholarship. The deadline for applications is October 6, 2023. Funds will be awarded in late October 2023.
Twelve students have won the 2023 City of Escondido Student Poster Contest by illustrating the theme, “Love Water, Save Water.”
Winners have the opportunity to have their work featured in a regional North San Diego County water agencies calendar. First, second, and third-place winners will be featured in next year’s regional calendar.
Twelve students have won the 2023 City of Escondido Student Poster Contest by illustrating the theme, “Love Water, Save Water.”
Winners have the opportunity to have their work featured in a regional North San Diego County water agencies calendar. First, second, and third-place winners will be featured in next year’s regional calendar.
Fourth-grade students in the City of Escondido water district have participated in its annual poster contest for decades. Students were asked to illustrate the value of water resources.
The 12 finalists were recently recognized at an Escondido City Council meeting.
First Place: Andrea Garcia, Heritage Elementary School
Second Place: Amelia Scroggy, Heritage Elementary School
Third Place: Avery Salazar, Grace Christian School
Annabelle Trecha
Aysha Navarrete
Belen Rios Perez
Lincoln Steele
Aria Manoocheri
Avery Smith
Cassie Goodwin
Isaac Holsclaw
Wyatt Hada
Winning students and their teachers receive prizes. The top 12 2023 Escondido Student Poster Contest winners are currently displayed on the City of Escondido website.
The Escondido City Council recognizes student artists for their winning poster entries. Photo: City of Escondido
The City of Escondido supports local public and private schools by providing the Water Science Education Program to elementary and afterschool programs. The program teaches water science to raise awareness of the earth’s resources through interactive and collaborative activities supplementing each school’s science curriculum and helping meet Next Generation Science Standards. The annual poster contest is part of the program.
(Editor’s note: The City of Escondido is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
The Sweetwater Authority selected 10 elementary school students as the winners of its “Being Water Wise Is…” 2023 Student Art Poster Contest. The annual contest is open to kindergarten through sixth-grade students in the Authority’s service area. The contest encourages students to think about the importance of water in their everyday lives, and how they can help protect and conserve water in their homes and community.
The Sweetwater Authority selected 10 elementary school students as the winners of its “Being Water Wise Is…” 2023 Student Art Poster Contest. The annual contest is open to kindergarten through sixth-grade students in the Authority’s service area. The contest encourages students to think about the importance of water in their everyday lives, and how they can help protect and conserve water in their homes and community.
“We are thrilled to have received so many incredible posters this year from so many talented students,” said Sweetwater Authority Board Chair Hector Martinez. “The Authority runs this contest every year with the goal of helping students think critically about the importance of water. This year students did a fantastic job illustrating what being water-wise means to them.”
Oliver Bucud, Fourth Grade
Alandra Contreras Olvera, Third Grade
Sabrina Dacanay, Third Grade
Lee Ann Davis, Fourth Grade
Amara Drosi, Fourth Grade
Vanya Herroz, Fourth Grade
Audrey Manaig, Fourth Grade
Ryann Moody, Fourth Grade
Aaron Ramirez, Fourth Grade
Caleb Zacharzuk, Fourth Grade
More than 60 students in the Authority’s service area submitted artwork for this year’s contest. Of the ten winners, five students will have their artwork submitted to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s regional contest:
If selected, their art work will be featured in MWD’s 2024 art calendar. In 2023, second-grade student Melanie Garcia’s artwork was selected to represent Sweetwater Authority in the MWD student art calendar.
Second grader Melanie Garcia represents Sweetwater Authority with her winning artwork. Photo: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Winners received art supplies kits, sketchpads and gift cards. See all the winning posters: www.sweetwater.org/postercontest23.
(Editor’s note: The Sweetwater Authority is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Valhalla High School senior Lily Martinez and Grossmont High School senior Stephen Abkin are the 2023 recipients of the Helix Water District’s Robert D. Friedgen and Dr. Lillian M. Childs college scholarships. Martinez and Abkin were presented with their $1,000 scholarships at the May Board of Directors meeting.
Valhalla High School senior Lily Martinez and Grossmont High School senior Stephen Abkin are the 2023 recipients of the Helix Water District’s Robert D. Friedgen and Dr. Lillian M. Childs college scholarships.
Martinez and Abkin were presented with their $1,000 scholarships at the May Board of Directors meeting.
Board members Mark Gracyk and Joel Scalzitti, Board Vice President Don McMillan, Lily Martinez, and Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. Photo: Helix Water District
Lily Martinez will attend UC San Diego and plans to major in biology. She is an Advance Placement Scholar of Distinction and a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar. Martinez’s score last year on the PSAT exam ranked in the top 1.25% of Hispanic high school juniors nationwide.
Martinez also receives the California State Seal of Biliteracy, given to students who score three or higher on a world language AP exam. She is a member of Valhalla’s varsity basketball team and works with children and refugee families through the Foothills United Methodist Church in La Mesa. Her goals are to complete medical school and become an oncologist or geneticist.
Board members Mark Gracyk and Joel Scalzitti, Board Vice President Don McMillan, Stephen Abkin, and Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. Photo: Helix Water District
Stephen Abkin will attend Texas A&M and plans to major in computer science and electrical engineering. He interned at FOX Shocks in El Cajon last year, where he shadowed mechanical engineers to learn product design and development skills and computer-aided design. He captained Grossmont High School’s Academic/Quiz Bowl Team for the past two years. Abkin is also one of the top 20 junior bowlers in California and was ranked fourth in the state last year.
Abkin co-founded the 602 Race, an online gaming event to raise funds for Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital, and participates in several clubs at Grossmont. He also volunteers at Fletcher Hills Elementary School, producing outreach and tutorial videos, and keeps statistics for Little League. After college, he plans to develop technology to address environmental issues, such as plastic waste and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The Robert D. Friedgen Scholarship was established upon his retirement in 1998, after serving as the Helix Water District’s general manager for 19 years. Friedgen provided the seed money for the scholarship. Board members and other supporters contributed additional funding.
The Dr. Lillian M. Childs Scholarship was started by the Helix board of directors one year later, in 1999 to honor Childs upon her retirement from the board and recognize her 20 years of service and leadership on behalf of the district.
Helix representatives contact high school counselors in November to help them inform eligible students about the annual scholarship contest. Applicants must live in the district’s service area, have excellent academic standing, excel in community service and extracurricular activities. Applicants submit an essay about the East County Advanced Water Purification Project and provide a personal goals statement with two letters of recommendation.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Ten talented student artists were honored for their winning work in the annual student poster contest at the May 17 Helix Water District board meeting. The students created their winning posters to visually depict the theme “Being Water Wise Is.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California holds the regional poster contest to increase student awareness about water. Kindergarten through eighth-grade students in local district schools are eligible to compete. This year, 453 students from 24 schools within the Helix Water District Service area submitted posters depicting how to use water wisely.
Sweetwater Authority Logo 2019