Annual Contest

Each year students in grades 3-8 from Scituate, Foster, Glocester and Western Johnston public schools create posters with a water quality protection theme. The winner for each school wins his/her class a pizza party. Then one winner is chosen from the 3rd-5th grade category, and the 6th-8th grade category. These posters are then submitted to a national contest sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts. Up to 1500 students are eligible to participate in the poster contest.

The Scituate Reservoir Watershed Education Program’s
23rd Annual Poster Contest
Clean Water Begins At Home

The winners of the 23rd annual Scituate Reservoir Watershed Education Program (SRWEP) poster contest used the theme “Clean Water Begins At Home” to teach their friends, neighbors, and family members the simple changes that they can make to protect Rhode Island’s drinking water. SRWEP is funded by Providence Water and implemented in partnership with Northern RI Conservation District, and its goal is to protect the Scituate Reservoir at its source by encouraging residents of the Scituate Reservoir watershed to take ownership of and responsibility for this important water source, which supplies drinking water to over 60% of Rhode Islanders.

Student artists took a variety of approaches to this year’s poster contest challenge. Elementary Division winner Summer Del Santo, a third grader in Mrs. Leonetti’s class at Hope Elementary School, chose to teach her viewers about one important way to protect the Reservoir, reducing the use of fertilizers. In contrast, Middle School Division winner Giuseppe Cucinotta, a 6th grade student of art teacher Mrs. Kent at Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School, used his intricate and detailed poster to show five ways that residents can help protect Rhode Island’s waters. Giuseppe is the first Grand Prize winner from N.A. Ferri Middle School, which has participated in the contest since 2015.

All elementary and middle schools that serve the Scituate Reservoir watershed towns of Scituate, Foster, Glocester, and Johnston are invited to participate in the annual Poster Contest, and for the second time this year William D’Abate Elementary School in the Providence neighborhood of Olneyville was also invited to participate in an effort to expand SRWEP educational programming to communities that utilize the Scituate Reservoir’s water. Posters were judged by three natural resources professionals: Christopher Riely of Providence Water, Betsy Dake of the RI Department of Environmental Management, and Paul Dolan of the RI Resource Conservation and Development Council. All winning posters will be featured in a 2020 calendar that will be distributed free of charge at schools, libraries, and public locations in Scituate, Foster, Glocester, Johnston, and Olneyville.

In addition to the school winners featured below, Honorable Mention prizes were awarded to Riley Adams (Mrs. DiLuglio’s 3rd grade class at North Scituate Elementary), Jason D’Amico (Mrs. Sullivan’s 6th grade class at Scituate Middle School), Casey Durkin (Mrs. DiLuglio’s 3rd grade class at North Scituate Elementary), Caroline Pesenecker (a 6th grader is Mrs. Kent’s art class at Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School), and Madison Scanlon (Mrs. Sullivan’s 6th grade class at Scituate Middle School).