Past Winners
2023 Winners Announced
Official Results of the 2023 Caring For Our Watersheds Ohio Final Presentations at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Ladasia Faulkner from Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students for her proposal entitled, “Native Prairie Species Garden.”
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 100 entries were received!
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Ladasia | Native Prairie Species Garden | Spencer Center |
| 2nd | $900 | Zachary, Ryan | Community Based Clean-Up | Loveland HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Hollis, Callie, Margot | Fast Fashion in America | Wyoming HS |
| 4th | $700 | Ethan, Cullen | Vapes of Wrath | Wyoming HS |
| 5th | $600 | Lloyd | Cloth Roll Towel Cabinets | Spencer Center |
| 6th | $500 | Keira, Erin, Ian, Melia | Bee the Change | Loveland HS |
| 7th | $450 | Gwendolyn | Reducing & Removing Litter at School | Spencer Center |
| 8th | $400 | Riley, Gavin | Sign for Change | Loveland HS |
| 9th | $350 | Olivia, Sophia, Wyatt, Jacob | The Impact of Styrofoam Lunch Trays | Loveland HS |
| 10th | $300 | Kendle, Maya, Audree | Sustainable Cooking | Mt. Notre Dame HS |
2022 Winners Announced
Official Results of the 2022 Caring For Our Watersheds Ohio Final Presentations at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Sonya Yurovski from Loveland High School for her proposal entitled, “Contact Lens Recycling Program.”
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 132 entries were received!
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Sonya | Contact Lens Recycling Program | Loveland HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Ollie, Ashley | Drug Take Back Day | Loveland HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Tabitha, Emily, Natalie | Saving the Earth in Style | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 4th | $700 | Kate, Grace, Lexi, Kat | It’s a Barrel ‘o Fun! | Ursuline Academy |
| 5th | $600 | Malena, Linnea | The Butterfly Effect: Wildflowers & Watersheds | Wyoming HS |
| 6th | $500 | Busy, Semi, Roman, Gavin | Clean Up For Candy | Loveland HS |
| 7th | $450 | Eli, Andy, Wyatt | Aer-it-Out | Wyoming HS |
| 8th | $400 | Garrett | Conservation Stewardship Certification | West Holmes HS |
| 9th | $350 | Alana | The Unspoken Problem | John Marshall School of Engineering |
| 10th | $300 | Crysta, Bailey | Guide to Being a Watershed Superhero | Mount Notre Dame HS |
2021 Winners Announced
Official Results of the 2021 Caring For Our Watersheds: Ohio Final Awards Ceremony over Zoom on Saturday, April 24.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Garrett Houin from West Holmes High School for his proposal entitled, “Precision Conservation in the Mohican River Watershed.”
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 126 entries were received!
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Garrett | Precision Conservation in the Mohican River Watershed | West Homes HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Caitlin, Stefanie | Community Thrifting Event | Wyoming HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Mark, Owen | Up 2 Bat for Our Watershed | Wyoming HS |
| 4th | $700 | Morgan, Allison | Let’s Catch the Rain | Wyoming HS |
| 5th | $600 | Hannah, Brenna, Kayla, Sarah | Lighting Our Way to a Greener Future | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 6th | $500 | Ava, Madeline, Becca | The Butterfly Oasis | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 7th | $450 | Kk (Calyn) | Scoop the Poop | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 8th | $400 | Megan, Meredith | Reduce, Reuse, Shampoo! | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 9th | $350 | Clarke | Salix Phytoextraction | Wyoming HS |
| 10th | $300 | Ehthyu, Emeraude | Increasing Cleveland’s Depleted Tree Canopy | John Marshall School of Engineering |
2020 Winners Announced
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 135 entries were received!
This year because of COVID-19 closures, we were unable to hold a final competition, but students were still awarded the final prize money along with awards going to the winning schools as well. It is our hope that these projects will be able to be implemented in the future.
| Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| Clara Conover | Habitats for Bats | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| Haomi Lee | Building a School Rain Garden to Manage Runoff | John Marshall School of Engineering |
| Mia Prasinos, Rebecca Specht | Electronics Drive to a healthier Little Miami Watershed | Ursuline Academy |
| Alexa Beke, Angelina Tran | Caring for our Cosmetics | Ursuline Academy |
| Marianna Dionysiou | We need a Solution to Waste: Period | Wyoming HS |
| Jadiel Perez, Emeraude Katusevanako, Jasmin Garcia, Eh Thyu Say | Keeping Our Communities Safe from Lead Contamination | John Marshall School of Engineering |
| Sydney North, Shelby Kuhn | Buckets of Bliss | Wyoming HS |
| Mariah Jackson | The Fatberg Problem | Winton Woods HS |
| Riley Lingen, Eli Meyung, Mason Allen | Pee is Now Free | Wyoming HS |
| Joshua Parker, Alex Rhodes, Elliot Wilson-Woodrow, | Going Green with Greener Lawns | Wyoming HS |
| Honorable Mention | ||
| Cameron Coburn, Caroline Walsh | The Green Dress Project | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| Breanna Bauer | Hawk Nesting Platforms | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| Kiana Bernard, Gabby Starks | Garden of Eden Recycling Program | Wyoming HS |
2019 Winners Announced
Final Presentations were held at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 27.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 80 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Olivia Dick and Sophia Dick from Wyoming High School for their proposal entitled, “Natural Ice Melt Alternative.”
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Olivia Dick, Sophia Dick | Natural Biodegradable Ice Melt Alternatives | Wyoming High School |
| 2nd | $900 | Allison Zwellling, Megan Glass, Isabella Richardson, Trisha Leyda | Rethink Recycling | Ursuline Academy |
| 3rd | $800 | AJ Washienko, Jack Williams, Evan Prater | Safe Fishing Practices | Wyoming High School |
| 4th | $700 | Abby Shores | Saving St. Clare Stream | Wyoming High School |
| 5th | $600 | Julia Breckenridge, Jenna Murdock, Sarah Slabe, Olivia Core | (Rain) Barrels of Fun | Ursuline Academy |
| 6th | $500 | Lucas Plante, Sam Mota | Buzzing With Biodiversity | Wyoming High School |
| 7th | $450 | Bella Saba, Kiernan Cinque, Chris Murtaugh | No Idling | Summit Country Day School |
| 8th | $400 | Stella Dionysiou, Jenny Lewis, Carla Unzueta | Grow, Don’t Throw! | Wyoming High School |
| 9th | $350 | Clare Hall | Wheat Straw Plates | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 10th | $300 | Brendon Lowry | The Runoff Prevention | Summit Country Day School |
2018 Winners Announced
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Annah Saladonis, Maegan Burck, Lydia Hock | Helping Our Watershed and the Roselawn Community | Wyoming HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Jenice Mario, Lauren Stevenson | T-shirt Scarves for Homeless Hearts | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Lily Melink | Creating a More Beautiful Tomorrow | Summit Country Day School |
| 4th | $700 | Paige Rieman, Aliyah Meehan | Got Sole? | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 5th | $600 | Bennett Heyn & Kevin Mercurio | Time to Take a Shorter Shower | Sycamore HS |
| 6th | $500 | Luke Erny, Canton Hausfeld, Kayla Roeske | Saving the World One Lightbulb at a Time | Wyoming HS |
| 7th | $450 | Spencer Jones, Patrick Carroll | Permeable Pavers Implementation | Walnut Hills HS |
| 8th | $400 | Ashley Yeoman, Kassidi Puthoff | Women for the Watershed | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 9th | $350 | Peter Dotterweich, Fiona Harrell-DuChaine | Environmentally Friendly Water Bottles | Walnut Hills High School |
| 10th | $300 | Francie Fixler, William Golden, Theo Faherty, Caleb Hall | PlantATree: Help Your Community Grow | Walnut Hills HS |
Final Presentations were held at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 28. Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 80 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Annah Saladonis, Maegan Burck and Lydia Hock from Wyoming High School for their proposal entitled, “Helping Our Watershed and the Roselawn Community.”
2017 Winners Announced
Final Presentations were held at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 29. Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 90 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Daniel Matthew Murphy from Oak Hills High School for his proposal entitled, “Aeration Modification”.
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Daniel Matthew Murphy | Aeration Modification | Oak Hills HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Jacob Berry, Claire Erny | Replacing Toxic Weed Killers | Wyoming HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Alexandra Meckes | Battery Recycling | Sycamore HS |
| 4th | $700 | Sarah Walsh | Bee The Change | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 5th | $600 | Tori Lyon, Veronica France | Turning Trash Into Treasure | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 6th | $500 | Molly Mariani, Abi Barrett,
Ashley Moher |
Jacob’s Big Project | Wyoming HS |
| 7th | $450 | Bennett Heyn, Amanda Jensen | Cell Phone Recycling | Sycamore HS |
| 8th | $400 | Anne Smith | Hydration Station | Oak Hills HS |
| 9th | $350 | Sydney Renick | It’s Time to Compost! | Wyoming HS |
| 10th | $300 | Mackenzie Brown,
Paulina Prokhorova |
Save The Amphibians | Walnut Hills HS |
2016 Winner Announced
Final Presentations at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. A total of 100 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Bennett Heyn from Sycamore High School for his proposal entitled, “Automatic Flushers: Time to Save Water.”
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Bennett Heyn | Automatic Flushers: Time to Save Water | Sycamore HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Aleeyah Nurredin | A Rain Garden a Day Keeps the Dirt Away | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Nate Halstead, Jessica Wei, Dani Abramovitz | Green “Gutters” | Sycamore HS |
| 4th | $700 | Abigail Aubrey, Taylor Schmidt, Alex Herbert | Green Women Products | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 5th | $600 | Molly Bonino | Automatic Rainwater Terrace System | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 6th | $500 | Gabriela Okhuysen, Nora Davis | Improving the Mill Creek Watershed by Lawn Fertilization Education | Wyoming HS |
| 7th | $450 | Jared Bulla, Josh Rademacher, Logan Bush, Justin Zhou | Wetland Flora Construction | Summit Country Day School |
| 8th | $400 | Jaye Johnson, Madeleine Johnson | It Takes Children to Motivate a Village | Wyoming HS |
| 9th | $350 | Sam Haward | Comprehensive E-Waste Management | Wyoming HS |
| 10th | $300 | Bridget Kallmeyer, Erin Kallmeyer, Lindsey Lawrence | Sand Over Salt | Oak Hills HS |
2015 Winner Announced
Final presentations were held at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 25th.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. Over 125 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Aleeyah Nurredin from Mount Notre Dame High School for her proposal entitled, “Color Me Rain Barrel Initiative.”
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Aleeyah Nurredin | Color Me Rain Barrel Initiative | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Nick Chism, Nate Halstead, Asha Sethuraman | Rain Garden | Sycamore HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Chadwick George | The Water Tamer | Withrow University HS |
| 4th | $700 | Sophia Privitera, Maddie Gentile, Kate Stuhlfire, Sonya Sasmal | A Garden for Good | Mount Notre Dame |
| 5th | $600 | Jenny Zhang, Adelaide Tsueda, Ellie Schwietering | Creating “Greener” Lawns | Summit Country Day School |
| 6th | $500 | Jenn Adamec, Hannah Kast, Jory Gould | Soil Moisture System | Sycamore HS |
| 7th | $450 | Caroline Cusick, Jess Burris, Jenny Kristof | Saving the Watershed: One Sink at a Time | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 8th | $400 | Zach Bullock | My Rain Garden Idea!! | Withrow University HS |
| 9th | $350 | Madison Romano, Kelsey Donahue | Watershed App | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 10th | $300 | Savannah Geiger | Substituting Styrofoam Plates and Cups with Paper Plates and Cups | Seton HS |
2014 Winners Announced:
Final presentations were held at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014.
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. Over 75 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Amy Morency, Kelsey Bushfield & Emily Baur from Mount Notre Dame High School for their proposal entitled, “Sister Dorothy Stang Watershed Project.”
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Amy Morency, Kelsey Bushfield & Emily Baur | Sister Dorothy Stang Watershed Project | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Nathaniel Polley & Chloe Halsted | Farming For The Future | Wyoming HS |
| 3rd | $800 | Dontaz Hadden & DeAaron Duskin | The Dusty Old Trail | Withrow HS |
| 4th | $700 | Jill O’Bryan & Erica How | Only Rain in your Adopt-A-Drain | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 5th | $600 | Benny Friedman & Isabelle Andersen | Thermal Pollution – A Localized Solution | Wyoming HS |
| 6th | $500 | Olivia Wilmink | Down Spout Garden | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 7th | $450 | Tamar Merriweather | Tayy’s Wetland Watershed Project | Withrow HS |
| 8th | $400 | Elizabeth Burke | Rooftop Garden | Taylor HS |
| 9th | $350 | Tara Cravens & Nick Koehne | Impact Your Environment | Taylor HS |
| 10th | $300 | Sarah Tytus & Amanda Burke | Those Who Plant BeLeaf in the Future | Mount Notre Dame HS |
2013 Winners:
Final Presentations at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden on Saturday, March 2
Thank you to all of the students who participated in this contest. Over 50 entries were received.
The $1,000 first place prize was awarded to Emily Winchell from Sycamore High School for her proposal called, “Pioneer and Dulle Park Creek Protection”.
| Final Place | Award | Team Name(s) | Proposal Name | School |
| 1st | $1,000 | Emily Winchell | Pioneer & Dulle Park Creek Protection | Sycamore HS |
| 2nd | $900 | Willie Lutz & Casey Smith | Loveland Composting Program | Loveland HS |
| 3rd tie | $750 | Rian Boland & Bailey Venner | Grease Runoff Prevention within Restaurants | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 3rd tie | $750 | Elisabeth Schnnicke & Kelsey Green | Washing at the Carwash | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 5th | $600 | Michelle Strizak, Courtney Kinman & Lindsay Darkins | Utilizing Rain Barrels for Landscaping | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 6th | $500 | Elizabeth Guye, Maria Rojas & Clare Lees |
Keep Your Pills from Polluting | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 7th | $450 | Julia Love, Thomas Fagin, Janae McClair & John Brewer |
Changing the Community Behaviors and Attitudes by Raising Awareness and Education. | Arlington Heights Academy |
| 8th | $400 | Alexander Nocks | Halt the Aquatic Invasion: Slow Zebra Mussel Infiltration! |
Wyoming HS |
| 9th | $350 | Malorie Mullinger, Katie Hendy, Stephanie Hanson & Colleen Eck | Rain Garden Runoff Prevention Program | Mount Notre Dame HS |
| 10th | $300 | Maddie Peters & Caitlin Williams |
One Rain Garden at a Time | Mount Notre Dame HS |
Students won cash for themselves and a matching cash prize for their school.
For More information, please contact Local Program Coordinator, Gwen Z. Roth,
Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District.
gwen.roth@hamilton-co.org or 513.772.7645 x13
View photos of the event on Facebook here: 