The artwork of 13 Nebraska students will be featured in the 2013 “Nebraska: Don’t Waste It!” environmental calendar. The statewide contest is sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and focuses on the importance of waste reduction, recycling and litter cleanup.

The students whose submissions were selected for the 2013 calendar were invited to a ceremony at the State Capitol on Tuesday, August 17, where they were honored by Gov. Dave Heineman and NDEQ Director Mike Linder. Each month, the calendar will feature one of the 12 winning environmental posters. A 13th winner’s artwork will provide the cover for the calendar.

The entry which will be featured on the cover was submitted by Kylie Cadwallader, a tenth-grade student from Sandhills High School, Dunning.

The other 12 winners who are featured in the calendar are:

Jackie Negrete, a fourth grade student from Holy Ghost Catholic, Omaha.
Paige Wilson, an eighth grade student from Beadle Middle School, Omaha.
Sakura Shiroyama, a fourth grade student from Holy Ghost Catholic, Omaha.
ViviAnne Sayer, a first grade student from Fisher’s 24 School, Schuyler.
Rodrigo Hernandez, an eleventh grade student from Norfolk Senior High, Norfolk.
Lauren Christensen, a second grade student from Ronald Reagan Elementary, Omaha.
Jade McClain, a fourth grade student from Wheeler Elementary, Omaha.
Carlos Torres, a fifth grade student from Knickrehm Elementary, Grand Island.
Amy Reisher, a fifth grade student from St. Peter Catholic School, Lincoln.
Cassidy Cooper, a fifth grade student from Gibbon Elementary, Gibbon.
Alissa Kasik, a third grade student from Leigh Elementary, Leigh.
Natalie Lurz, an eighth grade student from Valentine Middle School, Valentine.
 

This is the seventh year that NDEQ has sponsored the contest, and Linder said he continues to be impressed with the number and quality of submissions from across the state.

“We received more than 2.000 entries this year,” Linder said. “These winning entries not only demonstrate the winners’ artistic talent, but they also convey important messages about the need to protect our environment.”

Copies of the calendar are available by contacting NDEQ at P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922, or by sending an e-mail request to NDEQ.moreinfo@nebraska.gov.

Below are photos of the individual contest winners, taken at the Aug. 17 ceremony. In each photo, Governor Dave Heineman is at left, and NDEQ Director Mike Linder is at right. (Right click on jpg icon and select "Open in New Window." The last photo is a shot of the entire group.)