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Vista Irrigation District Announces Student Contest Winners (May 12, 2025)

Vista Irrigation District awarded college scholarships to six high school seniors and selected three fourth-grade students from the local community as winners of two separate district‑sponsored contests.

Scholarships in the amount of $1,500 were awarded to Hailey Ahmed, Natalie Krahmer, Andrew Lee and Nathan Sleeper from Rancho Buena Vista High School, Nayleen Griffith from Vista High School, and Christopher Rayo from Mission Vista High School as winners in the Vista Irrigation District 2025 scholarship contest.

Cosette Kennedy, a fourth-grade student from Grapevine Elementary School, received first place honors from the district for her entry in the 2025 Water Awareness Poster Contest; she received a $100 award. Brylee Burton-Arner from Lake Elementary School and Presley Regan of Alamosa Park Elementary School received  second ($50) and third ($25) place awards, respectively, for their entries in the contest.

The purpose of the scholarship contest, which is open to high school seniors living or attending school within the district’s service area, is to increase the knowledge and awareness of water related issues affecting the district.  22 high school seniors submitted applications this year.

The poster contest, which targets students in the fourth grade, is designed to promote an understanding of water issues in elementary schools.  This year’s theme was “Love Water, Save Water.”  The three winning posters were selected from 230 entries based upon their depiction of the theme, artwork, originality, and poster design.  All three winners’ artwork will appear in the 2026 Water Awareness Calendar, which will be available, free of charge, at the district’s office in November 2025.

Vista Irrigation District is a public agency governed by an elected five-member board.  The district provides water service to roughly 132,000 people in the city of Vista, and portions of San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, and unincorporated areas of the county of San Diego.

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Yellow umbrella with plants and insects, raining. Text: "Love Water Save Water."
1st Place Poster Cosette Kennedy
Illustration of a girl pouring water into a tap, watering Earth. Text: "Be thankful for the water Mother Nature gives."
2nd Place Poster Brylee Burton-Arner
A turtle with a cracked Earth shell, raindrops, and text: "Save water, love water, Earth Day April 22."
3rd Place Poster Presley Regan
Two girls holding framed drawings about water conservation, one with Earth and a turtle, the other with an umbrella and "Love Water Save Water" text.
3rd Place Presley Regan (left) & 1st Place Cosette Kennedy (right)
A person smiling, holding a scholarship certificate.
Scholarship Winner Nayleen Griffith
A person holding a scholarship voucher certificate and smiling at the camera.
Scholarship Winner Andrew Lee
A person holding a scholarship voucher certificate while smiling.
Scholarship Winner Hailey Ahmed
Yellow umbrella with plants and insects, raining. Text: "Love Water Save Water."
Illustration of a girl pouring water into a tap, watering Earth. Text: "Be thankful for the water Mother Nature gives."
A turtle with a cracked Earth shell, raindrops, and text: "Save water, love water, Earth Day April 22."
Two girls holding framed drawings about water conservation, one with Earth and a turtle, the other with an umbrella and "Love Water Save Water" text.
A person smiling, holding a scholarship certificate.
A person holding a scholarship voucher certificate and smiling at the camera.
A person holding a scholarship voucher certificate while smiling.