Perris, CA (September 28, 2023) — Eastern Municipal Water District has announced the winners for its annual Write Off contest, in which area students write and illustrate a book that will be incorporated into classroom curriculum as part of EMWD’s education programs.

This year, students were asked to create activity sheets that be included in the “Careers in Water Activity Book.” The program is designed to expose students to water industry career opportunities.

The annual Write Off contest is hosted in partnership with Rancho California Water District.

Thirty water industry careers are highlighted in the book. Those careers include job titles, descriptions, required experience and education. Each highlighted career has a fun activity that students can participate in.

The winners are as follows:

• Andrea Benitez, Francine Habacon and Leona Garcia, from Vista Verde Middle School in the Val Verde Unified School District; and
• Makayla Byrne, Cemone Bell and Greg Paunkov, from Linfield Christian Middle School.

Each student produced five activity sheets in the book. The book is intended to be used by teachers for career path planning for their students.

EMWD is actively working to promote water industry careers through a variety of programs, including its education partnerships with area school districts. More than half of EMWD’s 600-plus employees will be retirement eligible within the next five years and the water and wastewater industry is facing long-term challenges to attract and retain its future workforce.

To view the book, please visit www.emwd.org/story-books.