2018 Earth Day Poster & Essay Contest Winners Announced

Last week, we announced the winners of our 2018 Earth Day Poster & Essay Contest! Our competition (now in its second year) asks every participating student to focus on their role as a care-giver of our world and to demonstrate their understanding of recycling and the benefits of reuse.

For this year’s competition, we asked students in 1st-5th grade to create posters illustrating the importance of recycling and how it can protect the environment. For students in 6th-8th grade, we asked them to take something they were going to throw away and transform it into something that would bring joy to someone else.

When we asked the 6th-8th grade students to include a reflection on why and how their projects would benefit someone else, we never anticipated the joy their responses would bring our office as well. Project after project provided a look into the empathy and consideration of each of the finalists. Here are some of the highlights:

“All candles can help you see. They can comfort others, some have a special scent, or they could just make a person feel joyful. I learned that most of the things we throw away could be used for wonderful things and might just change the world’s perspective of ordinary things.” – Amelia, 8th grade, St. Monica Catholic Academy

“Have you ever gone to bed cold? Probably not, but many people in our world go to bed every night being cold…I know I cannot help with their heating expenses, but I can help by giving them a chance to be warm when they go to bed…Jesus wants us to be good Christians so this is one way I thought I could be a disciple of Jesus by giving someone the gift of warmth, a blanket. Doing so, I hope I put a smile on someone’s face.” – Kaylee, 7th grade, St. Louise de Marillac Catholic School

“This old raggedy T-shirt was able to be transformed into a dog toy, in order to bring joy both to pets and family members. Spending time with pets often helps cheer up people, and what better way to hang out with your dog, than to play with it. This dog toy can help my dad, and sisters, have fun with my dog, and give them something to play with her. She loves spending time with us, and we enjoy playing with her.” – Benjamin, 8th grade, St. Kilian Parish School

Twelve local Catholic Schools and more than 1,000 students have participated in this contest over the past two years, creating projects that were thoughtful, creative, and illustrated their understanding of the significance of recycling and reuse.

A special thank you to all of this year’s participating schools: Saint Thomas More School, Saint Kilian Parish School, Saint Monica Catholic Academy, Saint Anne School, Saint Gregory Catholic School, Saint Bernadette School, & Saint Louise de Marillac Catholic School!

Here are the 2018 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Earth Day Poster & Essay Contest winners!