Steele Elementary Students Win ‘Be Water Wise’ Art Contest

ROOSEVELT, NY. — Liberty Water customers will have the chance to see student artwork by-the-month this year thanks to the award-winning work of a dozen students at Steele Elementary school.

The artwork will be displayed in Liberty Water’s yearly calendar, which the utility company mails to all of its customers. For each month of the year, those customers will see art work from second grader Joseph Cespedes; third graders Ireland Hall, Valentina Portillo-Maravilla, Sumayyah Yahmalik, and Elizabeth Zaluaga; and fourth graders Genesis Vanessa Aguilar, Jada Marie Cervantes, Steve Feeney, Rochaurd George Jr., Ariana Mustapha, Micaela Romero, and Daniel Sewnarine.

The students’ artwork won the utility company’s annual “Be Water Wise” competition, an artistic competition that focuses on water conservation. Along with the artwork and the year’s dates listed, Liberty Water calendars feature tips for saving water and advice on how important it is to do so.

“The yearly contest provides a creative platform for students across Long Island to delve into the water cycle and promote the need to protect the Island's drinking water,” district representatives said Monday. “Submissions are judged based on artistic skill, creative insight, and the effectiveness of communicating the importance of water conservation.”

This year, the students whose skill, insight and effectiveness won top prize came from Steele Elementary.

“This is our second year participating in the Be Water Wise Art Contest, and I was delighted to see a significant increase in student participation with so many entries submitted,” Steele Elementary School Principal LaTrace Finney said. “I was even more thrilled that all of the winners were from Steele! It feels as if we created our own mini calendar. I love that my students were able to showcase their artistic talents while promoting water conservation. I am an incredibly proud principal.”

In addition to their work appearing in the calendar, Steele students won their school an assembly, which will feature a representative from Liberty Water coming to the school to tell the students about how important water conservation is.