Erin Marble, an eighth-grader at Culver City Middle School, was among a dozen students in the West Basin Municipal Water District coverage area to earn honorable mention awards in West Basin’s “Water Is Life” art contest.
Winning artwork was based on the creativity of students’ portrayal of water conservation messages coupled with their artistic skills.
The West Basin Board of Directors presented awards on Monday to 15 grand prize and honorable mention winners.
More than 400 entries were received this year from public and private schools.
“The artwork and accompanying messages are timely,” said Board President Gloria Gray. “We are experiencing our fourth consecutive year of drought. We remain committed to educating our students and the community on the need to conserve water.”
Part of West Basin’s program to foster the awareness of water conservation, particularly during a severe drought, the Water is Life contest encourages third through 12th grade students to create a water conservation message and illustrate it with original, hand-drawn artwork.
Three grand prize winners and 12 honorable mentions were presented at a ceremony in Carson.
Grand prize winners:
1. Elementary School Grand Prize winner – Aaron Wakefield-Carl, Grade 5, Cornerstone at Pedregal Elementary School, Rancho Palos Verdes.
2. Middle School Grand Prize winner – Daniela Lopez, Grade 7, Fleming Middle School, Lomita.
3. High School Grand Prize winner – Gene Whang, Grade 10, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates.
Besides Ms. Marble of the Middle School, the other 11 honorable mentions included:
1. Sebastian Smith, grade 4, Beulah Payne Elementary School, Inglewood.
2. Orlando Lopez, grade 5, Lomita Math/Science Magnet School, Lomita.
3. Nayeli Soon, grade 5, Richmond Street Elementary School, El Segundo.
4. Jaqueline Ramirez, grade 5, Gardena Elementary School, Gardena.
5. Jamie Doo, grade 8, Ridgecrest Intermediate School, Rancho Palos Verdes.
6. Tania Avalos, grade 7, La Tijera K-8 Charter School, Inglewood.
7. Amy Villarreal, grade 8, Prarie Vista Middle School, Hawthorne.
8. Yessenia Avalos, grade 10, Inglewood High School, Inglewood.
9. Eric Bai, grade 11, West High School, Torrance.
10. Chrizelle Soon, grade 10, El Segundo High School, El Segundo.
11. Joceline Lara, grade 12, R.K. Lloyde High School, Lawndale.
To further convey the importance of water conservation, winning artwork will be featured on West Basin promotional and informational materials, and on bookmarks distributed at public libraries just in time for May, which is “Save Our Water” month.
For more information about the Water is Life student art contest and to learn more about West Basin’s education programs, see www.westbasin.org.
Ms. Paliwal may be contacted at medhap@westbasin.org
