The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced on Apr. 17 the winners of its annual Take Care of Texas Kids Art Contest, which drew more than 2,500 entries from students in kindergarten through fifth grade across the state.
The contest encourages young Texans to illustrate ways to conserve or keep water clean, supporting statewide efforts to protect natural resources and public health. The top three student winners—one from each age category—will receive new laptops for their artwork.
This year’s first-place winners are Ivy Seelbach, a kindergartener at Spring Valley Methodist in Dallas; Phaedra Casto, a third grader at Freedom Elementary in Fort Worth; and Aayush Nirmal, a fifth grader at Carroll Elementary in Frisco. Runners-up Rolando Garavito (IDEA Pharr Academy), Sophia Gonzales (IDEA Pharr Academy), and Yueran Lang (Baldwin Elementary) will each receive an iPad. Andrea Day, an elementary teacher from Corpus Christi, was randomly selected as this year’s winning teacher and will also receive an iPad or gift card.
All six students’ artwork is available on the Take Care of Texas website. Prizes were provided by the contest sponsor, Texas Chemistry Council. First-place winners will be recognized at the upcoming Texas Environmental Excellence Awards banquet in Austin this June.
Take Care of Texas is a campaign by the agency that shares information about environmental protection successes and urges all Texans to help keep air and water clean while conserving resources. The agency advances public health and environmental quality through regulatory efforts that promote community well-being and resource conservation according to its official website. It maintains headquarters in Austin with 16 regional offices throughout Texas according to its official website, employing about 2,800 staff members according to its official website.
The department operates under three commissioners appointed by the governor who set policy for statewide operations according to its official website. As reported by the agency’s official website, it serves communities across all regions of Texas as part of its mission since being formed in 1993.
