River City Water Festival to be held March 12

A poster created by a local 6th grader will be used to promote the second annual River City Water Festival, celebrating the Grand River and its role in shaping Grand Rapids.

The festival is organized through a partnership between Groundswell and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. Groundswell, hosted through Grand Valley State University's College of Education, is a coalition of community partners that creates opportunities for hands-on environmental learning for K-12 students throughout Kent County.

The festival features educational activities led by experts in environmental quality and water resources. It will be held March 12, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. A poster award ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m.

A Water Superhero Poster Contest was open to students in 5th, 6th and 7th grades, with the winner's artwork slated to be featured on promotional materials. Posters were designed to raise awareness about protecting the Grand River and Great Lakes from stormwater pollution. Nearly 100 students from eight schools in Kent County submitted posters. 

Zoe Kukla, a 6th grade student at Orchard View Elementary School, was named the winner. The top three winners will receive family memberships to the Grand Rapids Public Museum and classroom stormwater education presentations from WMEAC’s Teach for the Watershed program staff.

Winners were selected by a panel of judges with expertise in art, community engagement and water quality protection. Judges included Rosalynn Bliss, mayor of Grand Rapids; John Shinsky, interim dean of Grand Valley's College of Education; Mark Newman, author of the children’s book Sooper Yooper; Leslie Bellavance, president of Kendall College of Art & Design; Dale Robertson, CEO of Grand Rapids Public Museum; and Richard App, owner of Richard App Gallery.

The top 20 posters are on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum through March 12. 

Financial support for the festival comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, as well as Grand Valley's College of Education.

For more information, contact Joanna Allerhand, Groundswell project coordinator, at (847) 744-0508 or [email protected], or visit the Groundswell website.