2014 Llano Estacado Calendar Winners!

The Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District is pleased to announce, the 13 winners for their annual Calendar Art Contest. There were 508 entries from students at Loop, Seagraves and Seminole Elementary schools participated in the contest. 

We enjoyed looking at all of the students' creative work and their original ideas they illustrated. It is interesting to see the water conservation message portrayed in so many unique ways.

The grand prize winner, whose artwork will be featured on the cover of our 2014 school year calendar, is

Sarah Castillo, a student at Loop

There were 12 second place winners also that are featured each month of the calendar.  Those winners are the following:

Liam Murphy, also a student at Loop,

Darren Casarez, a student at Seminole Elementary,

Annie Wall, from Seminole Elementary,

Janessa Neufeld, Seminole Elementary 5th grader,

Miah Hinojosa, 4th grader from Seminole,

Itzel Quinonez, Seminole Elementary 5th Grader,

Anna Peters submitted this entry, she is a 5th grader at Loop!

Karina Holguin had money on her mind when she drew her entry! She is a 5th grader at Seagraves!

Alexis Garza, 5th grader at Seagraves!

One of the ag focused entries was submitted by John Neufeld of Seminole!

Janessa Neufeld, Seminole,

And last but certainitly not least! Samuel Cole Reynolds had this desert entry.  Samuel is a 5th grader at Seminole!

I was so proud of all 500 plus students that took the time to enter the Districts calendar contest!  These calendars are available at the district office in Seminole.  Please stop by & pick up your copy when you are in town!!

Kids, Kows & More 2013

Kids, Kows & More proved to be yet another success as approximately 200 Terry County fourth graders attended the fun and informative event. Students from Brownfield and Meadow gathered around presentations ranging from soil composition to dairy food nutrition.

The county extension agent ask that I incorporate drinking water into my presentation.  So I discussed the importance of water conservation with the students and then focused on needing to save water because of the important role water plays in our bodies.  We talked about all the different parts of our bodies that need water to work correctly and discussed how much water we need to consume each day!

Since there is no specific guidelines for kids and the amounted needed can range anywhere from 32-64 ounces, 

we focused on hitting the 48oz mark each day!

After a few questions & answers...  the kids "Aimed" to see if they could reach the 48 oz mark!

It was a fun activity, that really reiterated how much water they should try to "get in thier mouth" each day!

As a side note, if we do this activity again...I will definitely invest in a few baby pools to set each easel in. 

 The tarp did not do a great job of catching the water. 

I am really enjoying getting to know the kids in each district.  

These fourth graders are eager to learn & had a great time at KK&More this year!!

Birds, Bugs & Buffalo

We're Back! 

Lot of changes going on with the Co-op, so sorry for the lack of post the last few months! 

So we are going to play catch up! Starting at the end of September, we hit the ground running.  The annual Birds, Bugs, & Buffalo event was once again held in Brownfield and then in Meadow the following week.  The kids enjoyed a day in the classroom on Thursday with presentations about everything from water, bugs, weather & wildlife.  On Friday, the students went to the Buffalo Ranch outside of town.

The trip started with a talk with the Ranch foreman.  He told the kids all about the Buffalo!

The kids enjoyed watching the buffalo interact with each other.

One great addition this year, were backpacks for the kids donated by South Plains UWCD.  They came in so handy, allowing the students to be hand free from presentation to presentation.

After the buffalo talk, the kids divided up into groups.

The kids learned about branding and cattle.

and about all types of Birds.

The collected specimens from the field.

And learned the basics of soil.

All in all, the event was a huge success!  

It was a lot of fun to introduce the kids to a new experience! and help them learn about Birds, Bugs & Buffalo along the way!

How can you save water in the bathroom?

http://www.bathroomremodel.com/how-to-conserve-water-in-the-bathroom/#.UgObg5K1HEx

Shake, Rattle & Rainstick!

Last Friday I gave a presentation to the Martin County Library in Stanton. Being that we are still in a severe drought, I thought it might be good to make several rainsticks in hopes of receiving some rain. I think it might just work! Anyway, we talked about where rainsticks originate and how they have been passed down for generations. We read "The Rainstick, A Fable," and the kids really enjoyed it. After everyone learned what rainsticks were, we made our very own. Here are some pictures from the presentation. It was a blast!

The materials for the rainsticks: Duct tape, feathers, toilet paper holders, rubber bands and pinto beans.

Here are the ones I made. 

Everyone enjoyed personalizing their rainstick!

My favorite about this one is the "No Guys Allowed" sticker! haha. 

Why remember water this Fourth of July?

Remember this Fourth of July that water is in everything you eat and see! Whether you're eating watermelon or drinking lemonade, water made them delicious. Check out these three conservation tips:

1) When you're thawing meat for the big barbecue, pour the water used for thawing on a plant or tree outside.

2) Keeping drinks in a cooler for the picnic? Pour the ice and left over water on the lawn, rather than the sidewalk or street.

3) As you sit on the lawn for fireworks, know that every blade of grass took water to grow. 

Have a safe and happy fourth! 

SLUWCD & LEUWCD award $10,500 combined in scholarships

The Sandy Land UWCD and the Llano Estacado UWCD hosted their annual scholarship essay contest for high school seniors. As in many years past, the turnout and quality of submissions was exceptional. This year approximately 85 entries were submitted in total.

SLUWCD school districts include Denver City and Plains. Students from each school submitted entries in hopes of earning a scholarship. SLUWCD awarded $6,000 in scholarships.

Denver City High School

1) Kathryn English- recipient of $2,000 scholarship and attending West Texas A&M University
2) Jaci Zingerman- recipient of $1,000 scholarship and attending West Texas A&M University

Pictured (Left-right): Kathryn English (L), Jaci Zingerman (C) and Education Coordinator Adeline Fox (R).

Plains High School
1) Merrit Crump- recipient of $2,000 scholarship and attending Texas Tech University
2) Matthew Ramos- recipient of $1,000 scholarship and attending Texas Tech University

Adeline Fox and Merrit Crump 

Adeline Fox and Matthew Ramos

LEUWCD school districts include Loop, Seagraves and Seminole. Students from Loop and Seagraves submitted entries. Three scholarships were awarded to both of these school districts. Overall, LEUWCD awarded $4,500 in scholarships.

Loop High School
1st) Emily Whitfield- recipient of $1,000 scholarship and attending South Plains College
2nd) Kallee Foster- recipient of $750 scholarship and attending South Plains College
3rd) Veronika Conde- recipient of $500 scholarship and attending Midland College

Pictured: Veronika Conde (L), Kallee Foster (C) and Emily Whitfield (R)

Seagraves High School
1) Justine Negrete- recipient of $1,000 scholarship and attending South Plains College
2) Seth Barron- recipient of $750 scholarship and attending Evangel University
3) Gypsy Lovington- recipient of $500 scholarship and attending South Plains College

 Pictured: Gypsy Lovington (L), Seth Barron (C) and Justine Negrete (R)

 Congratulations to all of our winners!