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For Immediate Release
May 3, 2021

Board of Water Supply Announces Winners of its 2021 Water Conservation Week Poster and Poetry Contests

HONOLULU – The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021 Water Conservation Week Poster and Poetry Contests. Twenty-four Oahu students were recognized for their work to create art and poetry that demonstrate the importance of conserving water.

The 43rd annual poster contest and 13th annual poetry contest are key parts of the BWS’s efforts to educate keiki about the importance of using water efficiently to protect its sustainability. Winners of the contest were selected based on the accuracy of information, originality, creativity, and artistic or poetic ability, based on the student’s age, to convey this year’s contest theme, “Conserve Today for Tomorrow.”

“We appreciate the time and effort each student put into creating these remarkable posters and poems,” said BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau. “The entries reflect thoughtful understanding and appreciation of our precious water resources and the need to conserve it for generations to come.” 

The contests invited Oahu school students to share their thoughts on the important value of water. The poster contest was open to students in kindergarten through grade 6, while the poetry contest was open to students in grades 7-12. Top honors were awarded to 24 Oahu students from schools across the island.

To help protect students, teachers, family members and BWS staff from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the annual Poster and Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony was canceled. Winning students and their entries will instead be recognized online at the BWS’s website, www.boardofwatersupply.com/wcwcontest, and our social media sites, www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu & www.twitter.com/BWSHonolulu.  They will also be featured in our 2022 Water Conservation Calendar, which will be available to the public at the end of this year.

This year’s poster contest was judged by BWS Civil Engineer Joyce Lin, BWS Engineering Support Technician Kathryn Yoshimura, and BWS Information Specialist Blaine Fergerstrom. The poetry contest was judged by Nathan K. Hokama, APR; Principal of Strategic Communication Solutions, LLC; BWS Civil Engineer Daniel Koge; and BWS Information Specialist Stella Bernardo.

This year’s contests were made possible through the support of Platinum Sponsors Sodexo, the Friends of Halawa Xeriscape Garden, Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit Union, Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union, and Times Supermarket; Gold Sponsors Alexander & Baldwin Foundation and Hawaii Energy; and Silver Sponsor Pasha Hawaii.

2021 Water Conservation Week poster contest place winners:
 
Kindergarten 

  • 1st Place: Skylee Racoma, Nuuanu Elementary
  • 2nd Place: Niah Ergermayer, Ka`ōhao School
  • 3rd Place: Willa Wuttke, Ka`ōhao School

First and Second Grades

  • 1st Place: Lena Peverly, 2nd Grade, Our Lady of Good Counsel School
  • 2nd Place: Warren Adams, 2nd Grade, Makalapa Elementary
  • 3rd Place: Ashton Ikeda, 1st Grade, Maryknoll

Third and Fourth Grades

  • 1st Place: Lilynoe Mawie, 4th Grade, Moanalua Elementary
  • 2nd Place: Riyah Adams, 4th Grade, Makalapa Elementary
  • 3rd Place: Myra Cabuslay, 4th Grade, Our Lady of Good Counsel School

Fifth and Sixth Grades

  • 1st Place: Kenny Dias, 6th Grade, Kaimuki Middle
  • 2nd Place: Yuuka Izumoto, 6th Grade, Kaimuki Middle
  • 3rd Place: Joelle Orobia, 6th Grade, Kaimuki Middle

2021 Water Conservation Week poetry contest place winners:

Seventh and Eighth Grades

  • 1st Place: Cora Hill, 7th Grade, Kailua Intermediate
  • 2nd Place: Hunter Keola Cobeen, 7th Grade, Kailua Intermediate
  • 3rd Place: Raihna Predum, 7th Grade, Kailua Intermediate
  • 4th Place: Hilina`i Faulkner, 7th Grade, Kailua Intermediate

Ninth and Tenth Grades

  • 1st Place: Abegail Aguirre, 9th Grade, Sacred Hearts Academy
  • 2nd Place: Kayla Alviar-Costa, 10th Grade, Waipahu High
  • 3rd Place: Julia Yacas, 10th Grade, Waipahu High
  • 4th Place: Reese Machida, 9th Grade, Sacred Hearts Academy

 Eleventh and Twelfth Grades

  • 1st Place: Shayston Pasion, 12th Grade, Waipahu High
  • 2nd Place: Owen Lucas Agbayani, 12th Grade, James Campbell High
  • 3rd Place: Valerie Wong, 12th Grade, Sacred Hearts Academy
  • 4th Place: Keona Tomita, 11th Grade, Sacred Hearts Academy

About the Board of Water Supply

The Board of Water Supply (BWS), a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, manages Oahu’s municipal water resources and distribution system.  As the largest water utility in the State, the BWS serves approximately one million customers on Oahu.  The BWS embraces its mission of “Water for Life – Ka Wai Ola” – to provide a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply, now and into the future.  Uwē  ka lani, ola ka honua – “When the heavens weep, the earth lives.”  For more information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com, follow @BWSHonolulu or like the BWS’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu.

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Contact:

Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui
Information Officer
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Phone: (808) 748-5319