The City of Charlottesville, the Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA), and Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority (RWSA) participated in “Imagine a Day without Water,” a national campaign to educate and inspire the community about the value and importance of water in our everyday lives.
The campaign involved an event in October as well as an art contest where students from the City and County were asked to creatively convey a day without water. The contest was a great success with over 570 poster entries and with representation from almost all City and County Public Schools, private schools, and other organizations, grades 1st through 8th.
Judges from the City, ACSA, RWSA, StreamWatch, and Piedmont Council for the Arts helped evaluate the artwork for creativity, originality, and incorporation of the contest’s message: “Image a Day without Water”. One winner was chosen from the four grade divisions: 1st – 2nd, 3rd – 4th, 5th – 6th, and 7th – 8th. In addition, the top 50 entries were available to the public to view online and vote for a favorite art poster. With close to 1,200 online votes, a fan favorite was selected. All 5 winners will receive a $200 gift card, water conservation goodie bag, and have their artwork displayed around Charlottesville including City Hall, JMRL – Central Library, Public Works Administration Building, ACSA Building, and RWSA Building.
The winners for the 2015 Imagine a Day without Water Art Contest:
- 1st – 2nd Grade: Harper Jewel Ullrich, Jackson-Via Elementary, 2nd Grade
- 3rd – 4th Grade: Reese Coggeshall, Virginia L. Murray Elementary, 3rd Grade
- 5th – 6th Grade: Phoebe V. Rebhorn, Paul H. Cale Elementary, 5th Grade
- 7th – 8th Grade: Esther Juwon Lee, Jack Jouett Middle School, 7th Grade
- Fan Favorite: Krishabh Ban, Venable Elementary, 2nd Grade
In addition, teachers were encouraged to promote student participation by entering them into a drawing for a $200 gift card to be used for classroom projects. Odds for winning were increased with greater student participation. Four teachers were selected, and the winners of the teacher participation gift cards are the following: Cristin McGarey from Burnley-Moran Elementary, Brandy Garbaccio from Crozet Elementary, Tamara Murray from Charlottesville Day School, and Kathryn Durkee from Community Public Charter School.
The student winners along with the four teachers will be recognized at the Imagine a Day without Water Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, December 15th from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Water Street Center located at 407 East Water Street. The event is open to the public and water saving giveaways will be available to all attendees.
“This campaign has been a huge success as we have seen tremendous community engagement from Charlottesville and Albemarle schools,” stated Jill Greiner, the City’s Water Conservation Program Coordinator. “It was very exciting to see so many students and schools participate, and I am hopeful it started some important conversations amongst students and families on the value of water.
More information about the Imagine a Day without Water Art contest can be found here:www.charlottesville.org/artcontest. More information about Imagine a Day without Water can be found here: imagineadaywithoutwater.org.
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