Barnard Students Clean Sweep County Clean Water Contest

Barnard Students Sweep Oakland County Clean Water Student Competition

There’s something in the water at Barnard Elementary in Troy. The popular 2022 Oakland County Kids’ Clean Water Calendar Contest has resulted in great work being submitted by local fourth and fifth grade student artists across the county, and yet another sweep by Barnard Elementary School students. The 2022 calendar features the artwork of 12-monthly winners, in addition to 12 “honorable mention” and 24 “special acknowledgement” selections representing the calendar’s theme: “We Can All Help to Keep Oakland County’s Lakes, Rivers, Streams and Watersheds Clean!”

Out of nearly 600 art submissions by fourth and fifth grade students in Oakland County, the grand prize winner is Aditya Yogesh, Barnard Elementary 5th grader, whose artwork titled, “Save Today, To Survive Tomorrow” is featured on the cover of the 2022 Kids’ Clean Water Calendar. Aditya Yogesh is the only student to have won the coveted calendar contest grand prize for two consecutive years.

Barnard students continued the winning streak with 3 additional month winners, all 4th graders: Patricia Janowicz (August), Advika Poddar (October), and Grace Smiatacz (December) and Honorable Mention and Special Acknowledgement Winners: Arielle Tsai, Maddie Pate, Angelina Sirb, Abby Diaz, Enes Myrtollari and Janani Gude.

“The fourth and fifth graders put great effort into their art and they learn a lot about how they can protect the environment and our water resources now and when they grow up,” said Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. “Each young artist’s work showcases ideas on how to keep our waterways and the environment pollution-free. Drawing topics focused on how we can all prevent water pollution, how to conserve water and how we use and enjoy our vast water resources.”

“We have learned about how industry and our human footprint can impact our safe water,” said Yogesh. “I wanted to create awareness about saving our water resources for our future.” Barnard teacher Gwen Simon encourages her students to participate in the annual contest because “…they know how vital the Great Lakes are to everyone in Michigan and know how important it is to protect our waterways.” The poster contest gives students a chance to teach others some of the ways they can have a positive impact on our environment.

The 2022 calendar artwork gallery can be viewed at www.oakgov.com/calendarcontest , and calendars can be ordered and picked up at the listed local libraries, including the Troy Public Library.

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Photos courtesy of the Troy School District

Front Row: Advika Poddar, Aditya Yogesh, Arielle Tsai, Maddie Pate, Angelina Sirb

Back Row: Patricia Yanowicz, Abby Diaz, Enes Myrtollari, Grace Smiatacz, Janai Gude