MCPS student artists were recognized at the 2026 Waste Reduction–Reuse–Recycling Poster Contest Ceremony, hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. The annual contest celebrates K–12 students who use their creativity to demonstrate understanding and innovative ideas for reducing waste, reusing materials and recycling at school and at home.
This year’s theme, “One Item, Many Lives,” received 285 entries from 27 public and private schools, challenging students to find creative ways to reuse everyday items.
A panel of eight volunteer professional artists judged the submissions. Awards were presented in four grade-level categories: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, and ninth through 12th grade. The MCPS winners and honorees are:
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Kindergarten through second grade
- Second Place: Joelle Weinstein, 1st grader at Flora M. Singer Elementary School
- Honorable Mentions: Luke Walker, 1st grader at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School
Third through fifth grade
- First Place: Anna Petrova, 3rd grader at Bannockburn Elementary School
- Second Place: Sybille Nothwang, 3rd grader at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School
- Honorable Mentions: Ava Giraldo, 3rd grader at North Chevy Chase Elementary School and Wren Fallon, 4th grader at North Chevy Chase Elementary School
Sixth through eighth grade
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- First Place: Isis Li, 8th grader at Herbert Hoover Middle School
- Third Place (tie): Riya Suthar, 7th grader at Hallie Wells Middle School and Ariana Choudhury, 7th grader at Herbert Hoover Middle School
- Honorable Mentions: Alessandra Castillo, 7th grader at Rocky Hill Middle School and Esther Doku, 7th grader at Rocky Hill Middle School
Ninth through 12th grade
- First Place: Sara Ke, junior at Thomas Edison High School of Technology
- Second Place: Diana Gonzales, senior at Colonel Zadok Magruder High School
- Third Place: Tramanh Tran, junior at Seneca Valley High School
- Honorable Mentions: Zachary Chen, sophomore at Seneca Valley High School and Trinity Pope, freshman at Seneca Valley High School
Read the original article at mcps