Student Artists Portray Powerful Messages in Earth Day Poster Contest

A detailed colored pencil illustration viewed from inside a dark underwater cave, looking out into a vibrant blue ocean. In the center, a scuba diver in a blue suit and red gloves carries a purple bag with a green recycling symbol, picking up trash from the sandy seafloor. The seabed is littered with plastic bottles, cans, a discarded teddy bear, and purple fabric. Various marine life, including a stingray, an eel, a clownfish, and a blue tang, are depicted swimming amidst the debris and coral.

The School District of Palm Beach County

Apr 21 2026

Students of all ages harnessed their creativity to produce colorful creations to drive environmental advocacy for the School District of Palm Beach County’s Earth Day Poster Contest.

This year’s contest theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” emphasizes that environmental progress doesn’t depend on just one person, but is sustained by daily actions of communities, educators, workers, and families protecting where they live and work.

Students from John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres swept the three top spots in the High School division. First place went to senior Keylin Alvarez for her depiction of a scuba diver on the ocean floor. Another senior, Ryan Garcia, earned second place with a poster featuring a power plant. Third place went to 11th grade student Kristel Lopez Yat for a picture of a forest.

The Middle School category showcased incredible variety in style. Emma Stacheruk, a sixth grade student at Western Pines Middle School in Westlake, took home first place with a creative drawing of a tree. Second-place honors also went to Western Pines Middle, as Emma Oland, a seventh grade student, drew the Earth with the words "Together We Can Make it Happen." Melissa Elejalde, a seventh grade student at Verde K-8 in Boca Raton, earned third place with a picture of a beach.

In the Elementary division, students from Beacon Cove Intermediate in Jupiter earned the top three spots. Fourth grader Ivy Ross came in first with a picture of the Earth melting like an ice cream cone. Second place went to fifth grade student Vivian Brodeur for a drawing of a faucet watering the Earth, and fifth grader Hannah Taylor came in third with a drawing of a turtle.

To celebrate their achievements, each winner took home a custom Solid Waste Authority swag bag. The three first-place winners also received iPads. The winning artwork will be featured on digital menu boards in schools across the District and showcased in the cafeteria of the Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center.