November 1, 2011
This fall 30 colorful rainwater harvesting barrels decorated by Rockport-Fulton elementary students will begin appearing at locations around Rockport.
About 690 students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades at Live Oak and Fulton Learning Centers decorated the barrels as part of a water conservation and environmental awareness contest conducted by the City Public Works Department in cooperation with the Aransas County school district and the San Patricio Municipal Water District.
The Best Overall winner was created by students in Rheanna Ormand’s 4th Grade class at Fulton Learning Center. Their theme was “Do Your Part, Think Smart! Help Conserve Water.” They painted a scene showing a line of children standing hand-in-hand. They were also the winner of the 4th Grade Category.
The winners of the 3rd Grade Category were the students in Judy Samuels’ class at Live Oak Learning Center. Their entry shows a garden with grass, flowers, butterflies and signs that say “Don’t Pollute,” “Recycle,” “Go Green!” and “Don’t Litter.”
The winners of the 5th Grade Category were the students in Angela Martin’s class at Fulton Learning Center. Their entry uses bold green and orange colors and urges the reader to “Go Green Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Winners were selected by a panel of five judges.
Each of the winning classes was honored with a visit by Mayor C. J. Wax on the morning the contest results were announced. Mayor Wax presented the classes with personalized certificates and prizes which were donated by several local businesses. [Winning classes pictured below].
Kendra Baird, the city’s environmental specialist, planned and coordinated the contest which included providing each of the 30 classes with a blank white rainwater collection barrel. She explained that the only contest rules were that the students create an environmental theme and that they not include the name of their class or school.
The 55-gallon plastic barrels were provided by Coca-Cola Bottling and originally contained soft drink syrup. With assistance from staff at the San Patricio Municipal Water District, Baird and City Street Department personnel primed the barrels and added screened inlets, overflow lines and brass faucets so they can be used for rainwater harvesting.
The contest was made possible by donations from sponsors including the Water District which provides water to the Rockport area, Lowe’s, Coca-Cola Bottling, the Coastal Bend Council of Governments and the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Aransas County ISD teachers Martha McLeod and Monica Waggoner also helped plan the event.
The barrels were sprayed with a protective clear coat finish before being placed at locations such as the Chamber of Commerce and businesses where they can be enjoyed by the public.
