Tag Archive for: Education

Fourth grade student Amara Drosi is one of ten winners in the 2023 Sweetwater Authority Student Poster Contest. Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Student Artists Show Water Conservation Through Winning Art

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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.”

Winning student artwork

Oliver Bucud, Fourth Grade Student Artists Show

Oliver Bucud, Fourth Grade

Alandra Contreras Olvera, Fourth Grade

Alandra Contreras Olvera, Third Grade

Sabrina Dacanay, Third Grade Student Artists Show

Sabrina Dacanay, Third Grade

 

Lee Ann Davis, Fourth Grade Student Artists Show

Lee Ann Davis, Fourth Grade

Amara Drosi, Fourth Grade

Amara Drosi, Fourth Grade

Vanya Herroz, Fourth Grade

Vanya Herroz, Fourth Grade

Audrey Manaig, Fourth Grade

Audrey Manaig, Fourth Grade

Ryann Moody, Fourth Grade

Ryann Moody, Fourth Grade

Aaron Ramirez, Fourth Grade

Aaron Ramirez, Fourth Grade

Caleb Zacharzuk, Fourth Grade

Caleb Zacharzuk, Fourth Grade

Five students advance to regional competition

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:

  • Alondra Contreras Olvera
  • Sabrina Dacanay
  • LeeAnn Davis
  • Audrey Manaig
  • Ryann Moody

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 student artwork. Photo: MWD

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.) 

Outstanding Students Receive Helix Water District College Scholarships

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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.

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Helix Water District scholarship winners in 2023 Lily Martinez and Stephen Abkin. Photo: Helix Water District 2024 college scholarships

Outstanding Students Receive Helix Water District College Scholarships

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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.

Lily Martinez

Board members Mark Gracyk and Joel Scalzitti, Board Vice President Don McMillan, Lily Martinez, and Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. Photo: Helix Water District college scholarships

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.

Stephen Abkin

Board members Mark Gracyk and Joel Scalzitti, Board Vice President Don McMillan, Stephen Abkin, and Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. Photo: Helix Water District college scholarships

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.

Scholarships honor Helix Water District legacy

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.) 

Helix Water District Student Poster Contest Winners Highlight What “Being Water Wise Is”

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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.

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Otay Water District Calls On Student Artists for Contest Entries

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The Otay Water District calls on student artists in its service area to unleash their creativity in its annual Student Poster Contest. All students in district schools from kindergarten to 12th grade are invited to illustrate a new theme for the 2023 contest – “Being water wise is …”

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Two student artists representing the Otay Water District are among the 37 Southern California students whose artwork will appear in the 2023 “Water Is Life” Student Art Calendar. Photo: MWD student artwork

Otay Water District Calls On Student Artists for Contest Entries

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The Otay Water District calls on student artists in its service area to unleash their creativity in its annual Student Poster Contest. All students in district schools from kindergarten to 12th grade are invited to illustrate a new theme for the 2023 contest – “Being water wise is …”

Otay Water District’s annual educational program encourages students to create a poster demonstrating their water awareness. Water conservation or stewardship should be reflected in the artwork.

First place in 2022 in the high school category: Michael Armenion, eleventh grade, Otay Ranch High School. Photo: Otay Water District Otay Poster Contest

First place in 2022 in the high school category: Michael Armenion, eleventh grade, Otay Ranch High School. Photo: Otay Water District

Suggested examples include turning off the water while brushing your teeth, taking short showers, protecting water from pollution, or collecting rainwater in buckets and reusing it to water plants.

“This year’s theme ‘Being water wise is…’ invites students to share the many ways they can use water efficiently inside and outside their homes or schools,” said Eileen Salmeron, communications assistant and poster contest coordinator for the Otay Water District.

“Because our region and the state have faced many droughts, it is vital that younger generations start making water efficiency their way of life.”

Prizes Awarded In Three Categories

The contest features three categories: elementary, middle, and high school. First- and second-place winners from each category will win a $50-$75 gift card, certificate, art kit, and goodie bag. The District will also feature the winners in promotional materials and hold a recognition event at a monthly board meeting later this summer.

Selected posters will also be entered in a second contest held by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. MWD will select artwork to feature in its 2024 student art calendar.

First place, middle school: Khilee Haull, seventh grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Otay poster contest

First place, middle school: Khilee Haull, seventh grade, Hillsdale Middle School. Photo: Otay Water District

Two students from the Otay Water District have their artwork featured in the 2023 MWD calendar. Seventh grader Khilee Haull at Hillsdale Middle School won first place in the 2022 Otay Water District contest.

Second place, elementary school: Christian-Kealoha Rogacion, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

Second place, elementary school: Christian-Kealoha Rogacion, fifth grade, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. Photo: Otay Water District

Fifth grader Christian-Kealoha Rogacion at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School won second place in the 2022 Otay WD elementary school category.

The deadline to enter Otay’s contest is Friday, June 2, 2023. Hard-copy or digital entries are eligible.

Participants must attend a school within the water district’s service area and follow the contest guidelines at otaywater.gov/poster-contest.

Winning students in the 2023 Helix Poster Contest were honored at the May Board of Directors meeting. Photo: Helix Water District student

Helix Water District Student Poster Contest Winners Highlight What “Being Water Wise Is”

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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.

These students took top honors

Grades K – 4

First Place – Evelyn Racine, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3 Helix Water District student

First Place – Evelyn Racine, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3

Second Place – Awra Boubetana, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 4

Second Place – Awra Boubetana, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 4

Third Place – Katharina Theuer, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3 Helix Water District student

Third Place – Katharina Theuer, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 3

Honorable Mention – Aletheia Moffit, Julian Charter School Manzanita, Grade 1 Helix Water District student

Honorable Mention – Aletheia Moffit, Julian Charter School Manzanita, Grade 1

Honorable Mention – Ava Bleiweiss, Fuerte Elementary, Grade 1

Honorable Mention – Ava Bleiweiss, Fuerte Elementary, Grade 1

Grades 5 – 8

First Place – Catalina Raquel Jones, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 7 Helix Water District student

First Place – Catalina Raquel Jones, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 7

Second Place – Heaton Grey Hadidian, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 8

Second Place – Heaton Grey Hadidian, Christ Lutheran School, Grade 8

 

Third Place – Audrey Robinson, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 7

Third Place – Audrey Robinson, La Mesa Arts Academy, Grade 7

Honorable Mention – Valerie Silva, Mount Vernon Elementary, Grade 5

Honorable Mention – Valerie Silva, Mount Vernon Elementary, Grade 5

Honorable Mention – Cameryn Kovar, Saint Martin of Tours Academy, Grade 7

Honorable Mention – Cameryn Kovar, Saint Martin of Tours Academy, Grade 7

Helix Water District student artists featured in regional calendars

All winning posters will be forwarded to the Metropolitan Water District to be considered for inclusion in its 2024 “Being Water Wise Is” calendar.

First-place winner Catalina Jones in the Grades 5 – 8 category also won as a sixth grader in 2022, and her poster was included in the Metropolitan Water District 2023 regional calendar.

Helix Water District students were also selected for inclusion in the 2022 calendar, and in the 2021 calendar, in competition with all other regional winners.

This year’s winning posters are displayed on the Helix Water District website and Facebook page.

(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.) 

Otay Water District Logo

Otay Water District Announces New Theme for Annual Student Poster Contest

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Spring Valley, Calif. – Students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to unleash their creativity in the Otay Water District’s annual Student Poster Contest. This year’s theme is “being water wise is…”

Otay’s annual educational program encourages students to create a poster demonstrating their water awareness. Water conservation or stewardship should be reflected in the artwork. Some examples include turning off the water while brushing your teeth, taking short showers, protecting water from pollution, or collecting rainwater in buckets and reusing it to water plants.

“This year’s theme ‘being water wise is…’ invites students to share the many ways they can use water efficiently inside and outside their homes or schools,” said Eileen Salmeron, communications assistant and poster contest coordinator for the Otay Water District. “Because our region and the state has faced many droughts, it is vital that younger generations start making water efficiency their way of life.”

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

OMWD Recognizes Winners of the Annual Water Awareness Poster Contest

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Encinitas, Calif. — At its May 17 meeting, Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors recognized the top three entries in the 2023 North County Water Agencies Water Awareness Poster Contest. Nearly 100 fourth graders who live or attend schools in OMWD’s service area participated in this year’s competition.

The recognized entries were submitted by Lillian Cook from El Camino Creek Elementary School, Leo W. from Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, and Talia Elizabeth Abordo from Stone Ranch Elementary School. Lillian’s poster depicts her creative interpretation of a sunset on an ocean horizon. Leo’s poster featured an ocean wave cresting over planet Earth as it floats on the ocean, and Talia’s artwork showcases an otter holding a sign advocating to “save water, save one of us!” next to a smiling planet Earth.

“This contest is a wonderful way to showcase the creativity and talent of students throughout the communities OMWD serves,” said OMWD Board Vice President Matthew Hahn. “By highlighting the importance of water use efficiency,  elementary school children illustrate through their artwork the importance of protecting this finite natural resource.”

This year marks the 30th year of the annual Water Awareness Poster Contest. The theme for this year’s contest was “Love Water, Save Water.” The contest teaches students the value of water as a limited resource and the importance of using it wisely, while providing OMWD with locally produced artwork to reinforce this message to its customers.

The recognized posters will be featured in a 2024 Water Awareness Calendar.

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Six Students Awarded Scholarships by Vista Irrigation District

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Vista Irrigation District has awarded college scholarships to six high school seniors and selected three fourth-grade students as winners of two separate district‑sponsored contests.

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