Local student wins provincial watershed prize
Swift Current student Joe Boss, who attends Grade seven at Ecole Centennial School, claimed First Prize in the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds (SAW) 2020 Provincial Poster Contest. Joe’s poster was the Swift Current Creek Watershed Steward’s (SCCWS) entrant in the Provincial Contest after winning the SCCWS’S Poster Contest.
SAW is the provincial umbrella group for nine Watershed Stewardship Groups (WSG) including SCCWS, who work to promote awareness and understanding about protecting the quality and quantity of water in their local areas. The SCCWS and other members of SAW devote a significant amount of time promoting awareness among students to develop a new generation of Watershed Stewards and the annual Provincial Poster Contest for students in grades five to seven is an integral part of this work. The theme of this year’s poster contest “Wetlands and Wildlife” was chosen to allow students to demonstrate through artwork, their knowledge of wetlands and the plants and animals that require them to thrive and survive and how wetlands contribute to the well being of watershed residents.
Joe entered his poster in the SCCWS contest where it was selected as the top poster for the Swift Current area. The SCCWS then took Joe’s poster to the Annual SAW Conference in Saskatoon where posters from winners of other local watershed contests were displayed and people involved in watershed stewardship from across Saskatchewan and Western Canada voted for the best poster. After the results were tabulated Joe’s poster was voted as the Provincial Winner.
Joe’s well researched poster depicted himself 50 years from now, in 2070, enjoying the great Saskatchewan outdoors. During this time our community has learned to prioritize being Watershed Stewards to protect species at risk, plants native to the wetlands, and the animals that live in the wetlands for future generations. This is a message of good news that says if we all work together to safeguard wetlands, the land next to them and the plants and animals that live in these areas, these resilient areas will be a part of our landscape for many generations to come.
In addition to Joe’s message, his poster which is enclosed was wonderfully detailed and an excellent example of workmanship with many of the plants and animals that live in and around wetlands included in the poster. Joe and his family are very grateful to all of Joe’s teachers who continue to support and encourage his passion of drawing.
For winning the SCCWS contest Joe received a cash prize of $75 and a SCCWS T-shirt. Winning first prize in the SAW Provincial Poster Contest Joe received a $500 cash award, while his grade seven class at Ecole Centennial School taught by Mr. Cam Frase also won $500 to use for a project of their choosing.
This was the first time that a student in the SCCWS watershed has won the Provincial Poster Contest Prize and SCCWS congratulates Joe on winning this contest and looks forward to viewing his artwork in the future.