Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim honored a group of creative fifth and sixth grade students selected for their artistic and writing skills used to express environmental awareness, as part of the Agency’s Annual Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest. The students selected from throughout Illinois were recognized at a ceremony at the Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield and in conjunction with the Earth Awareness Fair. Each year, fifth and sixth grade students in Illinois take part in the Poster, Poetry, and Prose contest as part of the Agency’s Environmental Education initiative. Through the program, participating schools study environmental concepts with an emphasis on the current year’s environmental theme. Each participating school is eligible to select four works in each category to submit for competitive judging. This year’s theme, Environmental Justice – A Healthy Community for All! focused on understanding environmental justice and how it relates to healthy communities.

Poetry/Prose Top Award Winners

Aniyah Hawkins
Providence St. Mel School, Chicago

Sephera Hutchinson
St. Monica Academy, Chicago

Julia Vogt
St. Monica Academy, Chicago

Sophia Zayas
St. Monica Academy, Chicago

Posters Top Award Winners

Haasika Arunkumar
Glenn Elementary, Normal

Olivia Bafia
St. Monica Academy, Chicago

Sophia Faryjewicz
St. Monica Academy, Chicago

Eleni Malliaras
St. Monica Academy, Chicago