Pictured, from left, are Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams Education Coordinator Caitlin Yoder, Wawasee High School student Brianna Haessig, and City of Warsaw Stormwater Coordinator Ryan Workman standing in front of the City of Warsaw street sweeper decorated with Haessig’s winning piece, “Sunglasses.”

WARSAW — City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility and the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams recently partnered to display winning student art pieces from the annual Lakes & Streams Art Contest on the City of Warsaw’s street sweeper. Wawasee High School student Brianna Haessig’s piece, “Sunglasses,” and Warsaw Community High School student Austin Bowell’s piece, “Caught Unaware,” were winners selected from the submissions to the annual art contest and were finalists in the Create Art for Clean Water Contest, hosted by the Stormwater Utility.

The City of Warsaw Stormwater Utility and the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams share the goal of encouraging the community to be an example of stewardship for its natural lakes. The Create Art for Clean Water Contest is one opportunity both the Stormwater Utility and the Lilly Center provide for the community to demonstrate leadership in this area. Winners for the contest are selected from the art submissions to the Lilly Center’s Lakes & Streams Art Contest. The finalists are awarded the opportunity to have their artwork displayed on the City of Warsaw’s street sweeper for the community to enjoy.

The local community is fortunate to have access to three natural lakes: Center, Pike and Winona. To ensure the health of these waterways for generations to come, lake and stream education is vital. Caitlin Yoder, the education coordinator for the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams explained, “The partnership between the Stormwater Utility and the Lilly Center for this contest allows us to enhance our ability to reach a large audience for Stormwater education. Our hope is the artwork on the street sweepers will connect in people’s minds that the cleanliness of our streets is directly related to the health of our local lakes and streams.”

Pictured, from left are, Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams Education Coordinator Caitlin Yoder, Warsaw Community High School student Austin Bowell, and City of Warsaw Stormwater Coordinator Ryan Workman stand in front of the City of Warsaw street sweeper decorated with Bowell’s winning piece, “Caught Unaware.”