Monarch Utilities, a subsidiary of SouthWest Water Company, recently recognized three students as winners of its writing contest for Chapa Middle School in Hays Consolidated Independent School District. Winning students received prizes ranging from $100 to $500 during a campus event. Monarch Utilities provides water services to some residents in the Kyle community.
“We received many impressive stories, poems and essays highlighting Chapa Middle School students’ understanding of the importance of safe water and how imperative it is to our everyday lives,” said Gary Rose, director of operations, SouthWest Water Company, Texas Utilities. “Every year, we enjoy reading the students’ submissions, and look forward to continuing the writing contest next year.”
Students from Chapa Middle School submitted essays between 400 and 600 words that discussed the importance of water in their life, the community, the state or the world today. Contest scoring guidelines followed the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) rules for expository essays, and a panel of Chapa Middle School English/Language Arts teachers scored the essays. This is the second year that Monarch Utilities hosted a writing contest in Hays County.
Sedona Heaney, a seventh grade student at Chapa Middle School, wrote the grand-prize winning essay titled, “The Importance of Water.” Heaney received a $500 Visa gift card for being the winner of the entire contest.
Monarch Utilities also recognized the following students as contest finalists, presenting each with a $100 Visa gift card: Luis Frausto, sixth grade; Emma Power, eighth grade.
Read Sedona Heaney's winning essay here.
