Student Winners Announced in Annual Water Awareness Poster and Video Contests

Winners of the Sonoma County Water Agency’s (Water Agency) annual Water Awareness school poster contest and the Russian River Watershed Association’s high school video contest were announced recently during a celebration held to acknowledge the winning entries and hand out prizes. More than 85 students, family members, teachers, and elected officials attended the May 17 event held at the Water Agency offices in Santa Rosa.

The Water Agency, in partnership with local water suppliers, has held an annual Water Awareness Poster Contest since 1994. Winners of the poster contest are featured in the following year’s Water Awareness calendar. The contest allows students to creatively express the importance of water as a natural resource. This year 184 finalists were selected from thousands of entries from 52 schools in the Water Agency’s service area. The 13 winning entries will appear in the 2019 Water Awareness Calendar. The 14 poster winners (one entry had two artists) received a t-shirt with their winning poster art printed on the front and teachers were given a $50 gift certificate for school supplies. The poster contest is sponsored by the Sonoma Marin Water Saving Partnership, the Water Agency, and Sonoma Clean Power.

The Russian River Watershed Association’s High School Video Contest attracted 37 video entries from nine schools, with a total of 62 students participating. The top three winning videos will be used as public service announcements and as educational outreach materials. The first place entry will be aired during preview ads in local movie theaters. In addition, winners received cash prizes of $1,500 (first place), $1,000 (second place), and $500 (third place). The prizes were split evenly between the student winners and their schools.

“The annual poster and video contests are a great way for students to learn about the value of water and the importance of protecting our creeks and streams from pollution,” said James Gore, chair of the Water Agency Board of Directors. “I love seeing the creativity of these students and their commitment to our watershed and the environment.”

The winners of the poster contest included:

Student Teacher Grade School City
Paul Llagas Karen Bandiera 3rd grade J.X. Wilson School Santa Rosa
Ava Ramirez Patricia Hoskins 3rd grade Loma Vista Immersion Academy Petaluma
Joel Hernandez Craig Stone 3rd grade Waldo Rohnert Elementary Rohnert Park
Mae Alstott Debra Bacher 3rd grade Sassarini Elementary Sonoma
Ellie Llanos Debra Bacher 3rd grade Sassarini Elementary Sonoma
Lisa Zheng Laura Knapp 4th Grade Austin Creek Elementary Santa Rosa
Bryan Timbol Julie McMurtrie 4th Grade Taylor Mt. Elementary Santa Rosa
Divier Mazariegos Fran Rozoff 5th Grade Olive Elementary Novato
Hanne Thomsen Nora Peterson 5th Grade Strawberry Elementary Santa Rosa
Quinn Gaidmore Amy Turko 5th Grade McNear Elementary Petaluma
Eder Calderon Tapia Amy Turko 5th Grade McNear Elementary Petaluma
Marc Santos Kevin Imm 6th Grade St. Eugene's Cathedral Santa Rosa
Maggie Bromham Michelle Holmstedt 6th Grade Santa Rosa Charter School For the Arts, Santa Rosa
Christin Ingle Michelle Holmstedt 6th Grade Santa Rosa Charter School For the Arts, Santa Rosa

The video contest had a theme of “From the Street to the Creek, Be Part of the Pollution Solution!” The winners included:

1^st Place “Rosie Knows,” by Henry Gomez; Healdsburg High School, Instructor: John Chevalier
2^nd Place “A Simple Solution,” by Ashlie Edmonds; Healdsburg High School, Instructor: John Chevalier
3^rd Place “Know the Little Things,” by Jordan Fetcko, Alexander Rivero, and Nicholas Bounkhoun; Montgomery High School, Instructor: Steve Forrest

The winning videos can be viewed at: www.scwa.ca.gov/video-contests

High School Video Contest Winners: (left to right) Montgomery High School media instructor Steve Forrest; Montgomery High School students Nicholas Bounkhoun, Jordan Fetcko and Alexander Rivero. Healdsburg High School students Henry Gomez and Ashlie Edmonds; Healdsburg High School media instructor John Chevalier.

Poster contest winners (left to right): Paul Lagas, teacher Karen Bandiera, Ava Ramirez, teacher Patricia Hoskins, Joel Hernandez, Ellie Llanos, Mae Alstott, Lisa Zheng, Bryan Timbol, teacher Fran Rozoff, Divier Mazariegos, Hanne Thomsen, teacher Amy Turko, Eder Calderon Tapia, Maggie Bromham, Marc Santos, and Christine Ingle. Not pictured: Quinn Gaidmore.

Photos of the event and individual winners are available by request: Contact barry.dugan@scwa.ca.gov)