Children's Art Contest Winners Announced

Twelve students from the Temescal Valley area were named winners of an America Recycles Day calendar art contest, sponsored by a Keep America Beautiful and Waste Management Think Green® Grant, for their illustrations of a sustainable environment through community action.

The contest challenged students to depict the theme “Together we can keep Temescal Valley Clean and Green” and incorporate proactive ways to protect the environment, including proper waste disposal, recycling, clean technology and habitat conservation.

Throughout the month of October, contest organizers received 132 submissions from children attending El Cerrito Middle School and Todd and Luiseno Elementary Schools. The art contest was organized through a joint effort between the Temescal Valley Heritage Foundation and the El Sobrante Landfill, a Waste Management facility located in unincorporated Riverside County.

Of the 132 drawings and paintings submitted by the young environmental stewards, staff from Riverside County First District Supervisor Kevin Jeffries’ office and local community volunteers chose 12 winners to create a 2015 community calendar. The judges selected the winners based on interpretation of theme, creativity, originality and age appropriateness.

Winners:

• 1st Place: Quinn Anderson, Luiseno School, 7th grade
• 2nd Place: Clarence Okonkwo, Todd Elementary School, 1st grade
• 3rd Place: Melissa Albis, El Cerrito Middle School, 8th grade

Runner-Ups (in alphabetical order):

• Isabella Russo, Todd Elementary School, 2nd grade
• Jenna Mahoney, Todd Elementary School, 2nd grade
• Justin Dizon, Luiseno School, 7th grade
• Kaia Boone, Todd Elementary School, 3rd grade
• Kaitlyn Currier, Todd Elementary School, 4th grade
• Kiera Allende, Luiseno School, 1st grade
• Lia Starks, Todd Elementary School, 3rd grade
• Madison Talley, Todd Elementary School, 5th grade
• Maggie Gibbs, Luiseno School, 4th grade

Quinn Anderson’s drawing of a green-themed United States map earned him the esteemed first place title and an $800 donation for Luiseno School. “We all need to work together to keep not only Temescal Valley clean but the whole world,” said Quinn.

Second place winner, Clarence Okonkwo, drew a clean environment with a bird soaring overhead and won $600 for Todd Elementary School.

Melissa Albis’s illustration of the Coastal California Gnatcatcher earned her the third place title and $400 for El Cerrito Middle School.

Additionally, all 12 winners received gift baskets with art supplies and eco-friendly merchandise, and Quinn, Clarence and Melissa won ice cream parties for their homeroom classrooms.
The 12 winning illustrations can be viewed on Waste Management El Sobrante Landfill’s website by Nov. 20 at

www.wm.com/location/california/inland-empire/corona/el-sobrante.jsp

--Information and image provided by Waste Management of Southern California