Each year, Beaufort-Jasper Water &amp; Sewer Authority marks National Drinking Water Week with poster and essay contests for local students. This year’s winners submitted work representative of the theme Water: How can we build a future we want? Contestants were asked to pay special attention to drinking water quality, efficiency and infrastructure. The Authority received 76 poster submissions and 27 essay and short story entries from Jasper and Beaufort counties.

Thomas Heyward Academy fourth grader Caitlyn Williams created a poster showing the importance of water conservation. Her class was treated to a pizza party at the school.

Quinlan Bruen, a sixth grader at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School, outlined her three-point plan – Save the Wave – Every Drop Counts. Bruen’s initiative seeks to reduce storm water in the local ecosystem by promoting the use of rain barrels, rain gardens and pervious pavers. Short story winner Taylore Simmons, a tenth grader at Beaufort High School, created a fictional world where clean water is scarce and two teens save their community using distillation in her composition Potable. Bruen and Simmons were awarded iPads for their efforts.

<em>Top photo: Dottie Hofmann, BJWSA deputy general manager, presents a ribbon to Caitlyn Williams, seen with her teachers Tina McLemore and Denise Boyles.</em>

[caption id="attachment_28643" align="aligncenter" width="1020"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SCHOOLS-WATER-3.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-28643"><img class="size-large wp-image-28643" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SCHOOLS-WATER-3-1024x757.jpg" alt="Corey Murphy, principal Beaufort High School watches as Ed Saxon, BJWSA general manager and Dottie Hofmann, BJWSA deputy general manager present Taylore Simmons with an iPad for her winning essay." width="1020" height="754" /></a> Corey Murphy, principal Beaufort High School watches as Ed Saxon, BJWSA general manager and Dottie Hofmann, BJWSA deputy general manager present Taylore Simmons with an iPad for her winning essay.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_28642" align="aligncenter" width="642"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SCHOOLS-WATER-2.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-28642"><img class="size-large wp-image-28642" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SCHOOLS-WATER-2-642x1024.jpg" alt="Ed Saxon, BJWSA general manager, presents Quinlan Bruen with her new iPad." width="642" height="1024" /></a> Ed Saxon, BJWSA general manager, presents Quinlan Bruen with her new iPad.[/caption]