Art contest winners show environment is important to youth
Published 2:30 pm Friday, November 8, 2019
- First place winners in the 2019 St. John Industrial Group Art Contest were, from left, Zachary Henry, third grade; Emme LeBlanc, fourth grade; Taylor Duhe, fifth grade; and Ariel Davis, sixth grade.
RESERVE — This year, 358 St. John the Baptist Parish students used paper and art supplies to depict what environment means to them.
The resulting artwork was entered into the 20th annual St. John Industrial Group art contest, giving the largest industries in the parish a chance to look at environmental consciousness through a child’s eyes. A community breakfast held Wednesday in LaPlace celebrated the young contest winners.
Sixth grader Ariel Davis of John L. Ory was among those who submitted artwork.
Her finished piece featured a hand gently holding a delicate tree sprout against a yellow and orange sunset background. The contest theme was “Respecting Our Environment,” and those words framed the scene in Ariel’s artwork.
“It’s sad how some people don’t really care about the environment, and I wanted to do a picture of how I view Earth and how we can respect it more,” Ariel said. “I thought it would be great if I drew a hand holding a sprout as a sign of life. We should have more plants to grow in the ground so that we can have more earth and less pollution.”
There were 358 contest entries and 18 winners in this year’s environmental themed art contest.
For Riverside Academy student Taylor Duhe, first place winner in the fifth grade division, “Respecting Our Environment” came to life in a drawing about recycling bags, bottles and other used products.
Riverside Academy fourth grader Emme LeBlanc placed first in her division with a drawing of a hummingbird fluttering against a bright blue sky, sipping nectar from a pink and orange flower. Her goal was the show the beauty of the outdoors.
Zachary Henry of LaPlace Elementary placed first in the third grade division with a Louisiana-focused piece that featured a pelican, a lake and a familiar bridge.
Winning artwork also included trees, ducks, alligators and other wildlife in local ecosystems. All winners and participating teachers received Walmart gift cards.
Second, third and honorable mention winners in the St. John Industrial Group art contest winners were as follows:
Third grade winners included Katherine Cox, John L. Ory, second place; Daruis Antoine Davis Jr., Emily C. Watkins, third place; and Jorge “JD” Gomez, Riverside Academy, honorable mention.
Fourth grade winners were Byron Pilgreen, St. Peter School, second place; Anthony Bruno, Ascension of Our Lord, third place; and Veronica Matherne, St. Joan of Arc, honorable mention.
Fifth grade awards went to Kimberly Deras, John L. Ory, second place; Tristen Saijas, St. Peter School, third place; Lay’la Alshishani, John L. Ory, honorable mention; and Alaya Howard, Ascension of Our Lord, honorable mention.
Sixth grade winners were Mackenzie Ory, St. Peter School, second place; Marcus Knight, John L. Ory, third place; Theron Gross, LaPlace Elementary, honorable mention; and Trevez Walker, East St. John Preparatory Academy, honorable mention.
After awards were announced, students and their families heard reports of what local industries are doing to remain environmentally conscious. Representatives from different companies shared data visualizing the progression of air, water and offsite emissions from 2013 to 2018.
Formed for the purpose of sharing air emissions results with the community, the St. John Industrial Group includes DuPont, Evonik Industries of Garyville and Reserve, Marathon Petroleum Company, Denka Performance Elastomer, Nalco Champion, Air Products and Pinnacle Polymers.
The Group also participates in numerous community service activities including but not limited to the annual Andouille Festival, Household Hazardous Materials Collection Days and school back-to-school drives.
Environmental Supervisor Haley Ilg presented on behalf of Marathon Petroleum Company, the largest taxpayer in the parish.
Marathon has been recognized as a member of the OSHA Voluntary Protection Star Program for the past 25 years, according to Ilg. She said Star facilities exceed compliance requirements and achieve superior safety environmental and health management.
Detailed information about emissions levels of all companies within the St. John Parish Industrial Group is available at stjohnig.com.
