New England Science & Sailing Announces Winning Artists in Annual Statewide Drawing Contest

Stonington, CT – New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) announced this year's winning artists for the statewide calendar drawing contest entitled "Long Island Sound and Its Watershed: What It Means to Me." The annual drawing contest is open to all Connecticut students currently in Grades K-6. Santiago Araujo of the Shelter Rock School in Danbury was named the overall winner. His artwork will be featured on the cover of next year's calendar.
 
NESS's President and CEO Spike Lobdell commented, "This year's contest involved over 2,000 Connecticut students whose inspiring artwork depicted the importance of preserving Long Island Sound. Many thanks to the students as well as their teachers and parents who provided support in this environmental stewardship project."
 
A panel of judges chose two first place and two honorable mention winners from each grade as this year's award recipients. The students will be honored at an award ceremony in Hartford later this month. The artwork will also be part of a calendar in 2019.

Honorees include:

Student Name	Grade	School	Place
Dayne Elvis Lecy	K	Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School	1st Place
Evelyn Leff	K	Niantic Center School	1st Place
Evelyn Coronado	K	Harbor School	Honorable Mention
Mylez Mitchell	K	Roosevelt Early Learning Center	Honorable Mention
Kaylah De Jesus	1	MM Generali	Honorable Mention
Lena Cosentino	1	Niantic Center School	Honorable Mention
Keishlyanne Garcia Lopez	1	Individual Entry	1st Place
Julia Banda	1	Preston Veterans' Memorial School	1st Place
Santiago Araujo	2	Shelter Rock School	Overall Winner
Amelia Auten	2	St. Mark School	Honorable Mention
Landon Bourque	2	Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School	Honorable Mention
Aidan Naktenis	2	Niantic Center School	1st Place
Laila Vondle	3	Shelter Rock School	Honorable Mention
Aya Yoshimuta	3	Greenwich Japanese School	1st Place
Juliana Braz	3	Shelter Rock School	1st Place
Lillian Harney	3	West Broad Street School	Honorable Mention
Grace McKee	4	Niantic Center School	1st Place
Ken Nikaido	4	Greenwich Japanese School	1st Place
Matayo Swepson	4	West Broad Street School	Honorable Mention
Shea Cullen	4	Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School	Honorable Mention
Marcella Hamm	5	St. Michael School	Honorable Mention
Emily Jenniges	5	Individual Entry	Honorable Mention
Sydney Lombard	5	St. Mark School	1st Place
Yosuke Miura	5	Greenwich Japanese School	1st Place
Jonathan Wutka	6	Hartland School	Honorable Mention
Sebastian Gawrys	6	HALS Academy	Honorable Mention
Momoka Morimoto	6	Greenwich Japanese School	1st Place
Julia Lacasse	6	Individual Entry	1st Place

NESS, a nationally-recognized and award-winning nonprofit ocean adventure education organization, provides students of all ages with year-round ocean adventure programming that includes marine science, sailing, and water sports. NESS scholastic programs support teachers' STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) curricula with a unique combination of on-the-water and in-the-classroom lessons intended to build confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills.
 
The annual "Long Island Sound & Its Watershed" calendar drawing contest is funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation and was previously overseen by the Long Island Sound Foundation. For more information about the drawing contest, please visit http://nessf.org/long-island-sound-calendar-contest/. New England Science & Sailing Foundation, Inc. (NESS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) ocean adventure education organization that engages students in experiential learning to build confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. Marine sciences, adventure sports, powerboating, and sailing are platforms for inquiry-based learning, personal discovery, teaching respect and responsibility for the sea, and creating connections with the community. NESS operates year-round with families, schools, and organizations to provide high-quality programs that blend an innovative curriculum with exciting ocean adventure activities. For more information, visit www.nessf.org.