Politics & Government

Out of 2,400 Entrants, 12 Finalists for LVMWD's Water Awareness Poster Contest

Winners come from Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village.

From the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District:

Twelve local students have been recognized as finalists in Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD)’s annual Water Awareness Poster Contest, during ceremonies held during the District’s Board of Directors meeting, on Tuesday, May 13.  

The honored posters were selected from more than 2,400 entries created and submitted by elementary-school students from schools within the LVMWD service area. The artworks encompass a wide range of artistic approaches– including watercolors, mixed-media, and crayon creations -- all centering on the importance of water in our daily lives; a message that takes on added importance during the current drought.  

Families, teachers and school officials joined the students for recognition and celebration. Each finalist was presented with a personalized Certificate of Recognition. 

The Ann Dorgelo Water Awareness Award, a perpetual traveling trophy, was presented to the school of the top finalist. Named for a long-term LVMWD Board Member in recognition of her commitment to excellence in education, the trophy will be proudly displayed at Bay Laurel Elementary School in Calabasas for the coming year. The top finalist, Holland Kaplan, is a 3rd grader in Mrs. Feder’s class. Her poster reminds us to “Take it to heart, do your part, let’s all start!!! Conserve Water,” with the Earth being held gently by a pair of hands. 

The 11 other finalists named in the LVMWD contest are: 

  • Ryan Tse, a 4th grader in Ms. Kodama’s class at Bay Laurel Elementary School. Ryan’s timely poster states “We’re In a Drought – Don’t Let It Drip Out.” His bold graphics show a faucet with an unhappy drip, with the clever use of the international “don’t” symbol of a red circle and slash. 
  • Gavin Tesser, a Kindergarten student in Mrs. Sternbach’s class at Bay Laurel. Gavin’s colorful crayon poster states “Every Drop Counts” and shows how everything needs water, from our pets, the plants, trees and grass, to people with an umbrella. 
  • Rachel Burak, a 5th grader in Mrs. Smith’s class at Bay Laurel School in Calabasas. Using great detail, Rachel depicts a colorful happy world with enjoyable water compared to a stark one without, the result of unwise water use. Her poster asks the question, “Do You Want This to Happen? Let’s Conserve Water!” 
  • Sydnie Feder, from Ms. Tulbure’s 5th grade class at Chaparral School in Calabasas. Her poster shows a bright blue friendly water drop asking everyone to “Save Me!!” with “Every Drop Counts,” depicted in bold, bright colored letters. 
  • Gabrielle Marmet, a 3rd grader in Mrs. Ranney’s class at Chaparral School. This dramatic poster draws the viewer’s eye to the center, first to the Earth and then North America and a large yellow faucet that provides water for the oceans and wildlife. Her message, “Save the Water – Save the World,” sums it up. 
  • Riley Jackson, from Mrs. Mellick’s 5th grade class at Round Meadow School, in Hidden Hills. Her poster brightly depicts raindrops with conservation tips, a rainbow, a yellow duck floating in an upside down umbrella, and states “Do Your Part – Be Water Smart.” This is Riley’s fourth year as a finalist.
  • Luxie Hanley, also a 3rd grader in Mrs. Mellicks’s class at Round Meadow Elementary School. Her artistic poster states, “Save Water For Life” and shows the earth supported by tree branches in bed of colorful flowers. A happy butterfly enjoys the scene. 
  • Raquel Miller, in Ms. Boss’s 5th grade class at Sumac Elementary School, in Agoura Hills. Raquel’s clever illustration shows diminishing amounts of water in a water clock and wisely states, “Save Water – Time is Running Out.” 
  • Chloe Kamrath, a 2nd grader in Mrs. Horwitz’s class at Sumac Elementary School. Chloe presents Water Boy, a masked and caped superhero water drop surrounded by fellow water drops, and reminds us “Water Is Super.”
  • Sophia Pless, a 5th grade student in Mrs. Morrow’s class at White Oak Elementary School, in Westlake Village. In her poster, Sophia artfully compares a lush tree landscape with water to one without. Clearly “no water” is “not happy” as “Water is Life.”

All of the honored posters will join the artwork of past finalists on display at LVMWD headquarters on Las Virgenes Road. LVMWD’s annual Water Awareness Poster Contest is one of the district’s many educational programs designed to instill lifelong water conservation practices in young people, which is very important in this naturally arid region that must import 100% of its drinking water supplies. 

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serves nearly 70,000 residents in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Westlake Village, and surrounding unincorporated areas of western Los Angeles County. 


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