Olympia students recognized for winning Water Resources' calendar art contest

The Olympia City Council on Tuesday, October 18, recognized 13 middle school students who won the 2023 Calendar Art Contest hosted by the Public Works Water Resources Division.

Erin Conine, senior Water Resources specialist, announced this year's winners, whose artworks were selected for inclusion in the 2023 Water Resources Stewardship through Art calendar:

• Julia Harman, Washington Middle School
• Makenzie Bendiksen, Washington Middle School
• Eloise Cady, St. Michael's School
• Cooper Hodge, Reeves Middle School
• Connie Chen & Mia Colvin, Washington Middle School
• Tristen Mann, Washington Middle School
• William Weide, Marshall Middle School
• Max Ehert, Reeves Middle School
• Camdyn Savary, Reeves Middle School
• Jimena Miranda, Reeves Middle School
• Zia Eigenrauch, Washington Middle School
• Kelly Giang, Washington Middle School
• Ansel Harnish, Reeves Middle School

Susan McCleary of Olympia's Public Works Water Resources Division said the annual art contest was put on hold for three years because of the pandemic. They started accepting submissions last spring.

McCleary said they developed 12 key stewardship messages and solicited entries from public, private, and homeschooled middle school students in Olympia. The goal is to bring awareness to stormwater pollution, prevention, and water conservation best practices.

"We received 82 submissions, this time, making the selection process extremely difficult, but we are so happy to have these talented artists to help us spread the word," McCleary told the council members.

For this year's contest, Conine said they included "practice bee friendly" as one of their key messages.

"We did this because we wanted to honor Olympia becoming a certified Bee City USA. The city is committed to helping increase bee populations by avoiding pesticide use, creating opportunities for pollinator habitat, and providing educational resources to the community," Conine said.