Twenty students from eight schools will receive awards in the annual Youth Conservation Poster Contest sponsored by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (RSWCD).
This year, students designed posters with “One Water” as the topic, illustrating the importance of practicing good conservation habits in local watersheds, areas of land that drain rainwater, snow melt, runoff and groundwater into a single body of water. Any rain that falls within a watershed eventually flows to a stream, river, lake or ocean, potentially transporting pollutants such as sediment, bacteria, fertilizer and pesticides in the process.
“Water is our most valuable resource,” RSWCD commissioner Mary Burts said. “Climate change, flooding, drought and natural disasters have changed how and where we live and work with water. It is my hope that these posters bring community awareness to these important aspects of water, and that our children understand more about the importance of water quality.”
Contest winners will receive cash prizes, and four entries will progress to the state competition sponsored by the S.C. Association of Conservation Districts.
In Richland County, 75 students from nine schools participated in the contest. The winners and their respective schools are:
Kindergarten-First Grade
- First place: Talia Bowen, Arden Elementary School
- Second place: Francis Creel, Harmony School
- Third place: Samuel Dennis Gleaton, Harmony School
- Honorable mention: Alexander Stahl, Harmony School
Second-Third Grades
- First place: Kendyl Bovain, Arden Elementary School
- Second place: Renzo Anthony Pozo, Arden Elementary School
- Third place: Jenifer Clavel Echeverria, Arden Elementary School
- Honorable mention: Roman Mickle, Harmony School
Fourth-Sixth Grades
- First place: Aydin M. Soner (home-school)
- Second place: Aubrey Palevich, Brockman Elementary School
- Third place: Maya Marina Rekleitis, Crayton Middle School
- Honorable mention: Madeline Caughey Duncan, Brockman Elementary School
- Honorable mention: Leah Elizabeth Schmidt, Brockman Elementary School
- Honorable mention: Kha’Dari Ja’Viyon Bethea, Arden Elementary School
- Honorable mention: Sofia Ananyan, Satchel Ford Elementary
- Honorable mention: Ambar Zasharie Torres, Bethel-Hanberry Elementary
Seventh-Ninth Grades
- First place: Niso Zakkary, Longleaf Middle School
- Second place: Ayanna Mazique, Longleaf Middle School
- Third place: Lauryn Nicole Cameron, Longleaf Middle School
- Honorable mention: Jenesis Wesley, Longleaf Middle School
The Youth Conservation Poster Contest is hosted by the RSWCD with support from the state and national Associations of Conservation Districts. Support for the Richland County contest was provided by a Dominion Energy Environmental Education and Stewardship Grant. The County supports the RSWCD’s work with staff and other resources.