Every year, the Board of Water Supply hosts a poetry contest for O’ahu students in grades seven through 12. The Annual Water Conservation Week Poetry Contest is a part of their conservation outreach program’s goal to educate students about the island’s groundwater resources and the importance of protecting and preserving them. This year’s theme was “Do Your Part, Be Water Smart.” The contest closed on February 28 and the winners and placements will be announced on May 8. This year, three students from MHS placed in the poetry contest. Seniors Haley Evile and Caralyn Yamasaki placed in the top three in the grade 11 through 12 category and sophomore Liam DeBusca placed in the top three in the grade nine through 10 category.

    “It was an honor to be recognized last year and the same for this year. I’m very happy to be able to contribute to this cause and am thankful to my teachers, community members and family for inspiring my perspective of the world and, therefore, my poem,” said Evile.

    This is the second time that Evile has participated in the poetry contest. Evile entered into the contest last year, placing third with her poem, “Water: anywhere and everywhere, all at once, until, one day, it is nowhere.” “I found out about this contest as an extra credit assignment for my chemistry class last year and english class this year,” said Evile. “I entered again because I wanted to continue to be a part of the effort to preserve water.”

   The goal of the contest and exhibits is to promote the preservation of Hawai’i’s groundwater. In order to spread the message of the contest and the poems, the winners and honorable mentions will be exhibited in Lane Gallery at City Hall, Kapolei Hale, and at other locations, as part of a touring exhibit. “I thought that this contest had a meaningful cause that most people don’t think about. This contest was the perfect opportunity for me to contribute to the effort of preserving water in an art form that I love,” said Evile. “This contest is important to not only promote the cause, but inspire the youth to get involved.”

    They will find out their exact placement at the awards ceremony hosted by the Board of Water Supply on May 8 where they will be presented with an award and given gifts from the donors. The placements will be posted on the Board of Water Supply’s website following the awards ceremony.