Students Encouraged To Take Part In 'Wonderful Water Art Contest'
Posted
Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
CLAYPOOL - There are your typical drawings of a lake that resemble Winona and Pike lakes.
Or a stream running behind a subdivision.
Then there are the drawings of pirate ships coming out of lakes in Kosciusko County.
It's all part of the annual Wonderful Water Student Art Contest that Kosciusko Lakes and Streams puts together each year.
Students in grades 4 through 12, in both public and private schools in Kosciusko County, as well as homeschoolers, are encouraged to participate in the contest.
The theme for the contest is "Our Lakes and Rivers are Treasures!" Entries should include water (lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, wetlands) and should show students' understanding of the theme.
Some students show how they treasure the lakes and rivers of Kosciusko County while some are convinced there are actual treasures in the water.
Winners are picked from four different groups: fourth- through sixth-graders, seventh- and eighth-graders, ninth- and 10th-graders, and 11th- and 12th-graders will compete against each other for a $50 first prize.
Second place gets $30, and third place gets $20.
One teacher in the county has always had a winner come from one of her classrooms.
Martha Beeson is an art teacher who splits her time between Claypool and Washington elementary schools.
In her seven years as an art teacher in the Warsaw school system she has had a winner in the fourth- to sixth-grade group.
"This is the only contest I do," said Beeson. "It has a really good purpose. It makes them aware of their surroundings and of how beautiful an area we live in."
Beeson said her kids have always gotten really excited about the project.
"They always talk about what they're going to with the 50 bucks," said Beeson.
On Wednesday, about 20 students from John Shively's sixth-grade class at Claypool filed into Beeson's room to start their project.
They had been told to be thinking about what they wanted to create.
Wednesday, pencils and markers finally hit paper.
As Beeson guided her students through the project some were working at a feverish pace while some were taking their time.
They'll spend every week leading up to the April 1 deadline working on the project in Beeson's class.
This project and others through Kosciusko Lakes and Streams are designed to improve children's awareness of the county's natural resources.
That lesson hadn't been lost on sixth-grader Katlynn Craft.
"Lakes and stream are important because they keep our habitat alive and they keep us alive," said Craft.
Louis Dreyfus' Jeremy Mullins was on hand Wednesday to observe the students.
Louis Dreyfus is serving as one of the sponsors this year, along with Silveus Insurance Group, Biomet, Zimmer, DePuy, Kosciusko Community Hospital and Tippecanoe Boat Company.
Winners' artwork will be displayed in the halls of those businesses May 16-27.
Entries will be judged by Grace College art students and will be publicly displayed in the Grace College Art Department in Mt. Memorial Hall on the Grace College Campus from April 18 to May 13.
The winners will be announced the second or third week of April.Only one entry per student is allowed. Students may use any medium, but the artwork must be flat and should not be folded, mounted, matted or framed. Students can't use sand, glitter or material that may flake. A fixative must be sprayed on work using pastel or charcoal. Artwork should be neither smaller than 8"x10" nor larger than 16"x20".
Entries must be received by April 1. Send entries to: Anna Burke, Grace College, 200 Seminary Drive, Winona Lake, IN 46590.
For more information, call Kosciusko Lakes and Streams at 574-372-5100, Ext. 6446, or e-mail KLASinfo@grace.edu
