Creative Minds and Hands on Display in Children's Poster Contest
"Our world's water is in your hands". This advice comes from one of the students who created a poster in the 4th annual Children's Poster Contest, which was conducted by the Public Information Committee in conjunction with the Fall Conference.
The contest was open to all 5th grade students in Nebraska, with nearly 400 entries received from more than 30 schools. We displayed the top 100 posters for conference attendees to review and vote for their favorites. This year's theme, "Your Water - To Know It Is To Love It", was AWWA's national theme for Drinking Water Week in May.
The purpose of the contest is to get the younger generation thinking about water issues early and to have fun while learning about water, our most valuable resource. Some teachers had every student in their class participate, while others made it optional. While sorting through the submitted posters, it was obvious that some teachers had prepared their students by teaching about water-related issues, and had discussed water's importance in everyday life.
The top three poster artists received cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25. The first place prize went to a student at McCook Central Elementary who created a colorful poster depicting the water cycle. Second place went to a student at North American Martyrs School in Lincoln who built a pop-up poster showing surface water runoff. The poster receiving the third most votes was done by a Dudley Elementary student in Gothenburg whose poster had an actual water bottle cap incorporated into it. There were many great posters, so we also awarded an Honorable Mention to six of the posters, based on the voting results.
Here are some excerpts from the posters, not all of which were on display but still had an important message:
- We must be careful of how we use water. Be resourceful.
- It's your water – to know it and love it, preserve it.
- Don't waste water! Water is our life!
- You can only last 2 days without water, but do not try!
- Life without water is a desert, so save it and let the world be an OCEAN!
- H2O helps us grow
- Wasting water makes me cry!
- More than 94% of U.S. drinking water utilities are in full compliance with health-based federal regulations annually.
- Conserve water or live on the moon
- Water saves us, so let's save the water.
- It takes 10 liters of water to make one sheet of paper
- Water helps in many different ways. Water is a renewable resource that is important to us.
- Trees use water to give us oxygen.
- Animals need water as much as we do.
- Don't wait...Hydrate
- Respect water – we are so very lucky to have so much clean water
- Water, it's a gift from God
- Water is like a baby, you have to care for it
- Did you know that Nebraska gets most of its water from the Ogallala Aquifer? But we can't drink from it right away, we have to clean it or filter it.
- H2O actually means hydrogen two, oxygen one - they are the ingredients in a water molecule.
- Here are 3 types water can be: solid, liquid, gas
- Dinosaurs drank the same water we drink today, so we are drinking history. Help save water.
- I wish to be like water, slip through the world, but be beautiful in the sun light.
- Take care of our beautiful water
- Water is life so protect it
- Saving water, saves the world – saving the world, saves water
- Water is good, keep it that way
- I love my water and my water loves me!
- Water is the center of everything, its God's Blessing.
- Keep calm and save water, all day long
- Saving water is saving lives
- Water is good for you so drink it up. If you don't drink it, send it to Africa.
If you would like to get your own community schools involved with the 2017 poster contest, please contact Mary Poe for details.
Place Winners - 2016 Children's Poster Contest
1st place: Sienna Dutton, McCook Central Elementary, McCook, NE
2nd place: Dan Vo, North American Martyrs, Lincoln, NE
3rd place: Hannah Devlin, Dudley Elementary - Gothenburg Public Schools, Gothenburg, NE
Honorable Mentions - 2016 Children's Poster Contest
Daisy Villatoro, Knickrehm Elementary, Grand Island, NE
Carly James, St. Pius/St. Leo, Omaha, NE
Brylie Vollman, Bennet Elementary, Bennet, NE
Sofia Perez, Knickrehm Elementary, Grand Island, NE
Mattie Kucera, North American Martyrs, Lincoln, NE
Payton Hemphill, Dudley Elementary - Gothenburg Public Schools, Gothenburg, NE
