Sweetwater High School Archives

2nd Place: Huynh Hoang, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 12 – “Drip Drip.” Photo: Sweetwater Authority

Sweetwater Authority Recognizes Student Photography Showcasing Water

May 17, 2022/in Achievements, Features /by Gayle Falkenthal

Twelve talented photographers from South Bay schools won honors for their work creatively showcasing the importance and beauty of water in the Sweetwater Authority annual High School Photo Contest.

The winners were selected from 65 students who submitted more than 150 entries in two categories: black and white and color photography.

In each photo, water plays a central part in favorite activities and quality of life.

“The Board is proud to support this annual contest, which helps draw attention to water as an essential and precious resource,” said Sweetwater Authority Board Chair Alejandra Sotelo-Solis. “We are continually amazed by the talent and photography skills of students in our service area.”

Color Photography

1st Place: Ashley Monroy, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Summer Day.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Ashley Monroy, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Summer Day”

First place winner Ashley Monroy, a senior at Hilltop High School, described her winning entry “Summer Day.”

“I wanted to show how two best friends are playing with water on a sunny summer day,” said Monroy. “These two girls are playing with water balloons. This is something you do for fun with your friends and family.”

2nd Place: Huynh Hoang, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 12 – “Drip Drip.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Huynh Hoang, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 12 – “Drip Drip”

Bonita Vista High School senior Huynh Hoang portrayed the value of groundwater in “Drip Drip.”

“The repercussions of over-using fresh water are vast: future generations will struggle for water supply, the cost of drilling and pumping water will rise,” said Hoang. “Being a responsible water user is to look at daily habits and use of water and make changes that will minimize or eliminate water waste.”

3rd Place: Guadalupe Estrada, Chula Vista High School, Grade 11 – “Kissing Reflection.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Guadalupe Estrada, Chula Vista High School, Grade 11 – “Kissing Reflection”

Guadalupe Estrada, a junior at Chula Vista High School, called his photo “Kissing Reflection,” writing, “A bird is digging through the water, finding and eating any insects swimming around, creating a perfect mirrored reflection of it at the same time. This goes to show how not only is this resource valuable, but is also a gateway to hidden beauty and serenity.”

Black & White Photography

1st Place: Skyler Yowakim, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 9 – “Making A Wave.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Skyler Yowakim, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 9 – “Making A Wave”

In her entry essay, Freshman Skylar Yowakim of Bonita Vista High School described her winning photo: “Drainpipes allow wastewater to be disposed of from buildings. The wastewater is then conserved by flowing through our community’s sterilized sewer system and then transferred to a wastewater treatment facility. Wastewater treatment facilities are beneficial because they protect people and our ecosystem from the toxic elements that are found in wastewater.”

2nd place: Andres Cornejo, Chula Vista High School, Grade 11 – “Eleutheromaniac.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Andres Cornejo, Chula Vista High School, Grade 11 – “Eleutheromaniac”

Second Place winner Andres Cornejo, a junior at Chula Vista High School, came up with the unique title “Eleutheromaniac” for his photo, providing this definition: “Eleutheromaniac: one who seeks freedom beyond reach. He notices that the water has overcome this freedom and can course freely anywhere with no halt or hesitation. A constant freedom that fills the subject with jealousy at fault. A constant search that humans try to achieve this natural state of water.”

3rd Place: Joaquin Angulo, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Showers.” Photo: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Joaquin Angulo, Hilltop High School, Grade 12 – “Showers”

Joaquin Angulo, a senior at Hilltop High School, won third place for his photo “Showers,” which described his experience. “Having access to clean, fresh water is something that people often take for granted. I am thankful that I have access to water because it is essential for one’s wellbeing.”

Honorable Mentions awarded to eight additional photos for their outstanding quality

Honorable Mention winners, Color Category: (L) Carlee Gregg, 11th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Refreshing Life,” (R) Nathan Isaac C. Colmenares, 12th Grade, Chula Vista High School, “Simple Joy.” Photos: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Color Category: Carlee Gregg, 11^th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Refreshing Life;” Skyler Yowakim, 9^th Grade, Bonita Vista High School, “Stepping Into The Future;” Sebastian Pimentel Lugo, 9^th Grade, Sweetwater High School “Solin Bath;” Nathan Isaac C. Colmenares, 12^th Grade, Chula Vista High School, “Simple Joy.”

Honorable Mention winners in the Color Category: (L) Skyler Yowakim, 9th Grade, Bonita Vista High School, “Stepping Into The Future;” (R) Sebastian Pimentel Lugo, 9th Grade, Sweetwater High School “Solin Bath.” Photos: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Black and White Category: Joaquin Angulo, 12^th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Leaf Droplets;” Esteban Robledo, 12^th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Handwashing Against The Virus;” Janet Mendoza, 11^th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Backyard Beauty;” Noah Kitcher, 10^th Grade, Bonita Vista High School, “Misty.”

Honorable Mentions, Black and White Category: (L) Joaquin Angulo, 12th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Leaf Droplets;” (R) Noah Kitcher, 10th Grade, Bonita Vista High School, “Misty.” Photos: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

Judging was done through a blind selection process by Sweetwater Authority staff members and Bonita Museum & Cultural Center Director Wendy Wilson. First-place winners in each category were awarded $400; second place, $300; third place, $200; and $50 for Honorable Mention.

Honorable Mention, Black and White category: (L) Esteban Robledo, 12th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Handwashing Against The Virus;” (R) Janet Mendoza, 11th Grade, Hilltop High School, “Backyard Beauty.” Photos: Courtesy Sweetwater Authority

The winning photos can be viewed in a slideshow on the Sweetwater Authority website. A special exhibit at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center will showcase the winning photographs through June 30.

(Editor’s note: The Sweetwater Authority is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

Sweetwater Authority Displays Winning Photos at Board Reception

March 11, 2020/in Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Mike Lee /Water News Network

Ten South Bay area high school students will be honored for their winning photos at today’s Sweetwater Authority Governing Board meeting.

Nearly 100 students from Sweetwater’s service area entered its annual water photo contest, which challenges students to showcase the importance of water in everyday life through photography. Students submitted photos in two categories.

The public is invited to an Artists’ Reception on Wednesday, March 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to see all the winning photos on display. The event is being held at the Authority’s Administrative Office on 505 Garrett Avenue in Chula Vista.

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1st Place, “Blessed Stream,” Zabrina Urness, Sweetwater High School, Grade 10 winning photos

Sweetwater Authority Displays Winning Photos at Board Reception

March 10, 2020/in Agency News, Education, News /by Gayle Falkenthal

Ten South Bay area high school students were honored for their winning photos at the March 11 Sweetwater Authority Governing Board meeting.

Nearly 100 students from Sweetwater’s service area entered its annual water photo contest, which challenges students to showcase the importance of water in everyday life through photography. Students submitted photos in two categories.

The following students took the top honors:

Color Photo Category:

1st Place, “Blessed Stream,” Zabrina Urness, Sweetwater High School, Grade 10

2nd Place, “Pouring Out,” Stephanie Mauricio, Sweetwater High School, Grade 12

3rd Place, “Running River Water,” Erick Gallardo II, Sweetwater High School, Grade 11

Honorable Mention, “An Apple a Day,” Jaliyah Journigan, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 11

Honorable Mention, “Aqueous Perspective,” Zabrina Urness, Sweetwater High School, Grade 10

Honorable Mention, “Sun + Splash,” Kaitlyn Vu, Hilltop High School, Grade 11

Black & White Category:

1st Place, “Last Glass,” Tiffany Mayoral, Hilltop High School, Grade 11

2nd Place, “Daily Utilities,” Carlos Guerrero, Sweetwater High School, Grade 9

3rd Place, “Thirsty Tom,” Valeria Cano, Chula Vista High School, Grade 12

Honorable Mention, “My Memories,” and “Less Developed Countries,” Rosa Marquez, Chula Vista High School, Grade 10

Honorable Mention, “My Memories,” Rosa Marquez, Chula Vista High School, Grade 10

“Less Developed Countries,” Rosa Marquez, Chula Vista High School, Grade 10

Honorable Mention, “Drying Off,” Katherine Ochoa, Bonita Vista High School, Grade 11

Honorable Mention, “Floating,” Zabrina Urness, Sweetwater High School, Grade 10

All winning photos will be on display at the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center beginning in April.

Sweetwater High Students Aim To Avert World Water Crisis

May 2, 2018/in Achievements, Education, Features /by Gayle Falkenthal

Audrey and Alfred Vargas are trying to expand access to clean drinking water one drop at a time.

The brother and sister duo, who live in National City and attend Sweetwater High School, have been refining a portable, low-cost, easy-to-use, simple-to-construct system that efficiently desalinates brackish water.

“We see it as one of many possible solutions that can help solve the water crisis occurring throughout the world today,” said Audrey Vargas, 15.

Their endeavor is garnering growing attention. At the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair, their project – Solar Desalination Using a Parabolic Trough – secured the top Senior Division award from the San Diego County Water Authority.

Water Authority promotes innovation in students

The Water Authority has sponsored the Science & Engineering Fair for decades, and the Water Authority’s Board of Directors recognized Audrey and Alfred at its April 12 meeting, along with five other top water-related projects from the science fair.

Board member Frank Hilliker interviewed the Vargas team at the science fair and was impressed with their work. “The fact that they were able to take such a complex challenge and find a solution that seems so easy and without having to spend a lot of money was remarkable,” he said. “There are no computers, no electronics, no fuel involved. It’s a fascinating way to provide clean, reliable drinking water for people who don’t have access to clean water.”

Besides the Water Authority award, the siblings also won a Scripps Institute of Oceanography Climate Science Award, and their work was honored by the WateReuse Association (San Diego Regional Chapter) and the California Environmental Health Association – Southwest Chapter/San Diego County, Department of Environmental Health. They compete in the California State Science & Engineering Fair competition on April 23 and 24 at Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

Students set sights on solving global problem

Audrey and Alfred aspire to see their device used in impoverished communities around the world that don’t have reliable sources of drinking water.

“My sister and I live in a very modest community, and we see people who are living in poverty every day,” said Alfred. “This is a cost-effective and simple solution that can help anyone have access to a basic necessity.”

Alfred and Audrey have been entering science fairs since they were middle schoolers and Alfred has been refining the desalination project for the past three years. Alfred and Audrey note that a pivotal manner of obtaining freshwater is by distilling seawater. But that can be a costly and time-consuming process. Their portable, parabolic desalination device, however, can efficiently purify brackish water through a simple yet complex process that uses PVC pipes, a copper tube, and the sun.

Sofia Sandoval, a chemistry teacher at Sweetwater High School who advised the students, said Alfred and Audrey are destined for greatness. Indeed, Alfred aspires to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology and work as a chemical engineer. Audrey is determined to gain acceptance to Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Stanford en route to a career enforcing environmental regulations.

“Alfred and Audrey are not the typical high school students who were interested in conducting a cookie cutter science fair project,” Sandoval said. “They have bigger dreams. They came to science fair orientation meeting with a firm belief that humans have a moral obligation to help humanity. They, themselves, feel obliged to enter careers that allow them to directly help humans.

“This conviction, along with Audrey’s environmental passion and Alfred’s engineering mind, drove them to their project topic selection. I think this project embodies exactly what our next generation scientists and innovators should focus on, namely a multi-dimensional approach to solving world problems.”

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