LAPLACE — Over the past 20 years, children of St. John the Baptist Parish have used paper and art supplies to share what environment means to them.

The 2019 St. John Industrial Group Art Contest is now open for entries, and coordinator Jan Herrington said representatives from nine of the parish’s biggest companies can learn a lot from young artists.

“It is heartwarming to see what the kids see, what they draw and how talented they are,” Herrington said. “It’s interesting to see what they perceive. We can all learn a lot by looking through their eyes.”

Last year’s Art Contest received more than 700 entries, according to Herrington, who said teachers from local schools have their students participate year after year.

The contest is open to any third through sixth grade student currently living in St. John the Baptist Parish and/or attending a St. John Parish school.

Students are invited to draw, color or paint their idea of “environment” or draw inspiration from the 2019 Art Contest theme, “Respecting Our Environment.”

The result might be a turtle, an alligator, followers, a bayou scene or boating. Artwork geared toward the theme might incorporate themes of recycling, conservation, anti-littering or other displays of environmental respect.

One entry is accepted per student. First, second and third prize certificates and Walmart gift cards will be awarded in to grade category from third through sixth grade.

All entries are due by Oct. 10, and winners will be announced Nov. 6.

“We’ll have an invitation breakfast meeting for the winners, parents, all participating teachers and principals,” Herrington said. “We’ll have the students’ artwork on display on a PowerPoint at the meeting. We also list the winners in a newsletter sent to everyone in St. John Parish.”

In addition to celebrating a job well done, winners also have a chance to interact with industry professionals and gain exposure to potential career paths.

“It’s fun, and it’s really good to help students see what environment means and what these companies are doing to help the environment,” Herrington said.

Please submit entries by mail or in person to St. John Industrial Group, c/o Rodney Bourgeois, Jr., Nalco Company, 3628 Highway 44, Garyville, LA 70051.

Teachers may institute this art contest as a class project and submit a group of entries together rather than having students submit individually. However, individual entries will still be accepted.

Students may use any two-dimensional medium including crayons, colored pencils, watercolor, pastels or charcoal. The size of the artwork should not exceed 11” x 17”.

Please print the student’s name, telephone number, grade, school and teacher on the back of the entry.

For more information about the art contest, please call 985-535-4162 or email Rbourgeoisjr@ecolab.com.

Formed for the purpose of sharing air emissions results with the community, the St. John Industrial Group includes DuPont, Bayou Steel Group, Evonik Industries of Garyville and Reserve, Marathon Petroleum Company, Denka Performance Elastomer, Nalco Champion, Air Products and Pinnacle Polymers.

The group participates in numerous community service activities, including but not limited to Adopt-a-Family, Adopt-a-School, American Legion, LaPlace Lions Club and Household Hazardous Materials Collection Days.

For more information about the St. John Parish Industrial Group, visit stjohnig.com.