A fourth-grade student from Monte Vista Elementary School took home the first-place prize in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s annual “Being Water Wise Is…” Student Art Contest, which received 234 entries from MWD’s 26-member agencies across its six-county service area.
Sophia Doh’s artwork is gracing the cover of MWD’s 2024 water conservation-themed calendar. She also received a $100 Amazon gift card from Glendale Water & Power, who submitted Glendale Unified students’ artwork to the MWD contest. This is the first time that a student from Glendale has earned a spot on the cover for their artwork, said Vars Avetisian, public benefits charge coordinator at Glendale Water & Power.
Another GUSD student, Hayoon Lee, a sixth grader from John C. Fremont Elementary School, also impressed MWD with her submission and is featured for the month of March.
The competition is open for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
In honor of Doh and Lee’s accomplishments, Mayor Dan Brotman offered them a commendation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“We are proud to have their beautiful artwork and important water conservation messages shared for all to see,” Brotman said. “… Congratulations to Sophia and to Hayoon and to all the other students who took part in the contest.”
While Lee was unable to attend the meeting, Doh accepted her commendation in person, alongside her parents, her teacher, Yoo-Jin Kim, and Monte Vista Principal Hury Babayan. Doh thanked the mayor and City Council for the honor and touched on the meaning behind her work.
“I hope my artwork will remind people how easy it is to save water,” Doh said. “I got my inspiration from my garden which has lots of succulents, also known as drought tolerant plants. It’s really exciting to have my artwork on the cover of the calendar.”
To view the digital version of the calendar, visit mwdh2o.com/media/tw3hwe3f/student-art-calendar-2024.pdf.
First published in the January 13 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
