Picturing water conservation can be a tricky task, but not for Terry County fourth and fifth graders who recently competed in the South Plains Underground Water Conservation District’s (SPUWCD) calendar artwork contest. Approximately 450 students from Brownfield Oak Grove Elementary, Meadow Burleson Elementary, and Wellman-Union Elementary heard a presentation on the value of water in our lives, tips for conserving water indoors and outdoors, and learned other facts about local water resources like the Ogallala Aquifer. All fourth and fifth-grade students were then challenged to design and illustrate their interpretation of water-saving methods. Competition was fierce with only 13 winners selected for the 2024 South Plains UWCD calendar.
The grand prize cover winner for the SPUWCD Calendar was Ivan Gurrea, a fifth grader from Oak Grove Elementary in Brownfield. He received a $50 cash prize for his artwork entitled “Catch’n Water” which will be featured on the front cover of the 2024 calendar. The other 12 winners each received a cash prize of $25 and will have their artwork displayed as one of the monthly pages of the calendar.
In addition to Gurrea’s winning cover picture, other Oak Grove winners include fourth grader Sofia Jimenez, “How to Save Water” (July 2024), and fifth grader Aria Navarro “Water Saves Earth” (August 2024). Meadow was represented by fifth graders Jenesis Luera, “Why it is Important to Save Water!” (January 2024), Steven Gonzalez, “We All Come Together” (March 2024), and Elaynna Cavazos, “Facts & Reasons About Saving Water” (May 2024). Wellman-Union Elementary walked away with a total of seven places in the calendar. Fourth graders Sara Fehr, “Save Rain” (October 2023) and Steeli Horrell, “Save the Earth, Please” (October 2024) in addition to fifth graders Tenley Martin, “Don’t Hog All the Water” (February 2024), Hailyn Navarro, “Save Water, Save Our Planet” (April 2024), Aleigha Liberto, “Every Drop Counts” (June 2024), Natalee Munoz, “Blue to Green” (November 2024), and Raylee Rodriguez, “Snoopy is Thirsty” (December 2024), complete the 2024 SPUWCD calendar.
The South Plains Underground Water Conservation District would like to thank all the students who participated by submitting entries as well as congratulate all the winners whose artwork will be featured in the 2024 calendar. Winning students will receive a calendar next fall containing their represented designs along with a congratulatory letter from the water district.
Calendars will be available to the public early December 2023 at the South Plains UWCD office located at 802 Tahoka Road, Brownfield, TX.
Winning artwork can be viewed at http://www.savingh20.org/, the Southern Ogallala Conservation & Outreach Program (SOCOP) education website or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SOCOPsavingh2o/ after calendars are prepared and winners have been presented with their copy of the 2024 SPUWCD calendar.
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The Southern Ogallala Conservation & Outreach Program is the education and public relations division of the Sandy Land UWCD, South Plains UWCD, and Llano Estacado UWCD. SOCOP’s mission is to spread underground water awareness and encourage water conservation practices.
For more information, visit savingh2o.org or contact your local water district.
2023-2024 SPUWCD Calendar Artwork Contest Winners (May 2023)
- Ivan Gurrea – 2024 COVER WINNER Oak Grove 5th grade “Catch’n Water”
- Jenesis Luera – January 2024, Meadow 5th grade “Why it is important to Save Water!”
- Tenley Martin – February 2024, Wellman-Union 5th grade “Don’t Hog All the Water!”
- Steven Gonzalez – March 2024, Meadow 5th grade “We All Come Together”
- Hailyn Navarro – April 2024, Wellman-Union 5th grade “Save Water, Save Our Planet”
- Elaynna Cavazos – May 2024, Meadow 5th grade “Facts & Reasons About Saving Water”
- Aleigha Liberto – June 2024, Wellman-Union 5th grade “Every Drop Counts”
- Sofia Jimenez – July 2024, Oak Grove 4th grade “How to Save Water”
- Aria Navarro – August 2024, Oak Grove 5th grade “Water Saves Earth”
- Sara Fehr – September 2024, Wellman-Union 4th grade “Save Rain”
- Steeli Horrell – October 2024, Wellman-Union 4th grade “Save the Earth Please”
- Natalee Munoz – November 2024, Wellman-Union 5th grade “Blue to Green”
- Raylee Rodriguez – December 2024, WU 5th grade “Snoopy is Thirsty”
