Perris, CA (May 27 2022) — Three students from Lakeside Middle School in the Val Verde Unified School District were honored this month as the winners of Eastern Municipal Water District’s (EMWD) annual “Write Off” student story contest.

The contest is an annual partnership between EMWD and neighboring Rancho California Water District in which middle school students write and illustrate a water industry-themed book, which then becomes part of the agencies’ classroom curriculum for elementary school students in subsequent years.

This year’s winning entry was called “The Water District Field Trip.” It focused on a student who attends a field trip to a local water district and gets to meet employees from many different departments. The student learns more about career opportunities and, in the end, decides he wants to work in the water industry.

The book is designed to educate young people about career opportunities in the water industry, which is facing a workforce shortage. It is also intended to be used by teachers for career path planning among elementary school students.

The book was written by Valentin Pineda, an eighth grader at Lakeside Middle School in Perris. It was illustrated by classmates Naisia Alam and Myranda Estrada, also in eighth grade.

The book is now available online at www.emwd.org/story-books. EMWD has published approximately two dozen books about water, wastewater, and recycled water programs.

“We are incredibly proud of these three talented students,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “We hope that others are inspired by their work and seek to choose a career in the water industry because of what they learned. Congratulations to all three for a fantastic book we hope many will enjoy.”

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Eastern Municipal Water District is the water, wastewater service and recycled water provider to nearly one million people living and working within a 558-square mile service area in western Riverside County. It is California’s sixth-largest retail water agency, and its mission is “To deliver value to our diverse customers and the communities we serve by providing safe, reliable, economical and environmentally sustainable water, wastewater and recycled water services.” More information can be found at www.emwd.org