The deadline for Sustainable Orillia’s 2024 Student Art Contest—in Orillia area schools since early March—is coming soon. Submissions to the contest are to be picked up from local schools, both elementary and secondary, on Friday, May 31.
The contest’s theme is “Ontario Species Need Your Help.” The contest asks students to take a look at Ontario’s Species at Risk list—a list that contains the names of over 180 species. They are asked to pick one (or more) and to draw, paint or use mixed media to display the species. In addition, they are to submit a short note (50-100 words) explaining their choice(s) and concern.
These almost two hundred species are vulnerable to reductions in numbers, while some are already on the verge of extinction. The main culprit? Habitat destruction, though pollution and contamination of land and water also remain major causes of population decline.
It is of note that one of the main objections to the Ford government’s plans to build Highway 413 is its impact on a number of species on the provincial “At Risk” list. The Federal government, however, has given the go-ahead to the highway’s construction, subject to Ontario’s seeking other federal approvals for harm to federally-protected wildlife.
Environmental Defence opposes the project, noting “The construction would pave over 400 acres of the Greenbelt and over 2,000 acres of Class 1 and 2 farmland–Ontario’s most productive farmland … Highway 413 would cross over 85 rivers and streams, require a massive bridge over the Humber River and would pollute and destroy fish habitat … [causing] real … harm to a range of at-risk and endangered species by destroying their rare habitats.”
Many Ontarians are not aware of the threats that endanger the very existence of species that live alongside us in Ontario. The Sustainable Orillia contest asks students and their teachers to focus on this issue in order to become more aware of how precarious the existence of some species is in this province.
The artwork produced by the students is to be assembled and placed in each school’s office prior to noon of May 31 to ensure pickup by Sustainable Orillia.
Twelve to fifteen pieces will be chosen for Sustainable Orillia’s 2025 student art calendar. An award ceremony will take place early in June to announce winners of the contest.
The organizers would like to once again thank the three sponsors of the Student Art Contest for their support: Manticore Books, Jack & Maddy A Kids’ Store, and Scott’s Garden Centre. Their support for our children’s education and for Sustainable Orillia’s work in our community is very much appreciated. Please support them when you can.
