OUC awards Southwest Orange County students for artwork

Several Southwest Orange County students were awarded for raising awareness about water conservation through their artwork by the Orlando Utilities Commission Thursday, April 25, at a reception hosted at the Orlando Repertory Theatre.

Students from both Dr. Phillips High and Bay Lake Elementary schools earned awards. 

Photo courtesy of Orlando Utilities Commission

Meika Melina, Davar Presley, Cynthia Wallace and Miguel Urdaneta Mendoza from Dr. Phillips High received the Best Barrel Overall award, while Sophia Hood from Bay Lake Elementary submitted artwork that was featured in the Water Color Project.

Twenty-nine other students from across Orange County also received awards.

OUC first launched the Water Color Project in 2006, as a way to teach future generations about conserving water. 

Each year, elementary, middle and high school students participate in the educational art program by learning about why water is such a valuable resource and how to reduce usage. Students then are tasked with creating a piece of art to express what they have studied. Nearly 30,000 students have created water conservation artwork since the program’s inception.

“The Water Color Project is not just about preserving resources; it’s also about inspiring the next generation to become good stewards of our planet," Linda Ferrone, OUC chief customer and marketing officer, said in a press release. “It’s heartening to see young minds take such interest in this precious resource, and we love seeing their passion come through in art form.”

Elementary students create art for each month in OUC’s water conservation calendar, which is distributed to the community. Middle and high school students paint rain barrels, which are auctioned off to OUC and Orange County Public Schools employees. 

All proceeds raised go back to the school’s art program.

"Art education teaches students the skills to draw or paint and improves their creative thinking, problem-solving, self-expression and appreciation of the world,” Christy Garton, visual arts program specialist at OCPS, said in the press release. “OUC’s Water Color Project is an excellent example of how art education achieves these goals. It encourages our students to recognize and advocate for conserving our most precious resource, water, while improving the planet."

For more information about the Water Color Project, click here.

For more information on OUC, click here.