Impressive Collection of Student Artwork Illustrates Value of Water by South San Joaquin Irrigation District Mar 28, 2023 Member Submitted News MANTECA – Nearly 100 local students submitted their masterpieces to South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s (SSJID) “Water = Food = Life” art contest, with second grader Vivienne Vega of Colony Oak Elementary in Ripon taking the top prize. Vega’s artwork will be featured as a vehicle wrap on the tailgates of SSJID service trucks for the duration of the irrigation season. She moved up from third place in her category last year. The annual Vehicle Wrap Art Contest teaches students the importance of water in the community and around the world, including its critical role in supporting local family farms. The contest is open to first- through fifth-grade students in Manteca, Ripon and Escalon unified school districts. District staff voted for one grand prize winner and six additional winners. “Education about the value of water and conservation at a young age is crucial to a sustainable future,” said General Manager Peter Rietkerk. “Our community’s students once again demonstrated why a picture is worth a thousand words. Their artwork depicts the significance of water in our daily lives and shows us all how children view this precious resource.” In addition to the grand prize, this year’s winners are: First through Third Grade First place: Sophie Burton Second place: Audrey Lya Third place: Macy Nan Fourth and Fifth Grade First place: Brooke Demichelis Second place: Catarina Tovar Third place: Candence Herbst Each winner received a gift card for their hard work. The school with the most entries, Colony Oak Elementary, also won a gift card of $250 for art supplies. See the winning artwork, browse all the submissions and learn more about the contest at www.ssjid.com/education/vehicle-wrap-art-contest. ### About the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) South San Joaquin Irrigation District was established in 1909 and is headquartered in Manteca, CA. SSJID provides agricultural irrigation water to over 50,000 acres surrounding Escalon, Ripon and Manteca, and wholesale drinking water to over 215,000 residents in Manteca, Lathrop, Tracy, and in the future, Escalon. SSJID, along with Oakdale Irrigation District, owns and operates the Tri-Dam Project, a series of storage reservoirs and electric generation facilities that produce zero-carbon hydropower in the Stanislaus River watershed. Learn more at www.ssjid.com or follow SSJID on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SSJIDofficial), Instagram (www.instagram.com/ssjidofficial) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/ssjid).
