Hayward awards 20 young creators, picks up litter in 39th annual Earth Day celebration
Pictured above is the second place winning poster of the 2022 Earth Day Poster and Writing Contest in the 2nd to 3rd grade age group, submitted by Natalie Huang.
Last month, on April 19, Mayor Barbara Halliday and the City Council kicked off Hayward’s annual Earth Day celebration by recognizing twenty local students as the winners of the 2022 Earth Day Poster & Writing Contest. The awards ceremony was followed by the Annual Cleanup Day event on Saturday, April 23, during which more than 80 volunteers picked up an estimated 160 full bags of litter from Weekes Park and surrounding neighborhoods.
The City has celebrated its Annual Cleanup Day event for 39 years. Each year, school groups, families, Council Members, and City staff gather to pick up litter from City streets and parks. In the last several years, the event has been hosted in partnership with the Keep Hayward Clean & Green Task Force, which also hosts a series of monthly cleanup events year-round.
The Poster & Writing Contest is another important part of the City’s Earth Day festivities, providing Hayward students an opportunity to express their unique perspectives on such topics as water conservation, environmental justice, energy efficiency, recycling, and composting, among others. This year, more than 450 entries were submitted by students representing 37 Hayward schools. The winning entries were selected based on originality, clarity, and creative expression of the theme.
2022 Poster & Writing Contest Winners:
Kindergarten to 1st Grade Posters
1st Place Eliza Lee, Stonebrae Elementary School
2nd Place Scarlett Huang, Stratford School Fremont Osgood
2nd to 3rd Grade Posters
1st Place Noah Jones, Lorenzo Manor Elementary School
2nd Place Natalie Huang, Stonebrae Elementary School
4th to 5th Grade Posters
1st Place Samue Chiu, California Crosspoint Academy
2nd Place Amélie Itzel León Hernandez, Schafer Park Elementary School
6th to 8th Grade Posters
1st Place Enaliah Valle, Burbank Elementary School
2nd Place Anne Marie M. Velasco, Longwood Elementary School
9th to 12th Grade Posters
1st Place Hannah Smith, Tennyson High School
2nd Place Samuel Fung, California Crosspoint Academy
Kindergarten to 1st Grade Poems/Essays
1st Place Isaac Kim, Valley View Charter Prep
2nd Place Anabelle Sofie León Hernandez, Schafer Park Elementary School
2nd to 3rd Grade Poems/Essays
1st Place Camila Garcia Araujo, Cherryland Elementary School
2nd Place Rilee Anivee Josch, Stonebrae Elementary School
4th to 5th Grade Poems/Essays
1st Place Adelyn Kim, Connecting Waters Charter School East Bay
2nd Place Tiberius Reip, All Saints Catholic School
6th to 8th Grade Poems/Essays
1st Place Tazkiya Khan, KEY Academy Charter School
2nd Place Faisal Rohan, Cesar Chavez Middle School
9th to 12th Grade Poems/Essays
1st Place Grace Lee, California Crosspoint Academy
2nd Place Samiksha Lingan, Hayward High School
For more information about the City’s annual Earth Day celebration and events, visit www.hayward-ca.gov/earth-day.
