Davidson Soil and Water Conservation District opens sixth-grade ‘We All Live in a Watershed’ contests; outlines rules, deadlines and watershed basics

Andy Miller, representing the Davidson Soil and Water Conservation District, announced two countywide contests for sixth-grade students in Davidson County: an essay contest and a computer-generated slideshow contest, both on the theme “We All Live in a Watershed.” Miller outlined contest rules, scoring criteria, submission deadlines and prizes, and spent the presentation explaining how impervious surfaces affect streams and offering tools and actions communities can use to protect watersheds.

The contest rules require essays of 300 to 500 words that display the exact title "We All Live in a Watershed." Miller said, "If you don't use that exact title, there will be points taken away from your entry." Essay scoring is divided into content (50 points), writing style (20 points), organization (20 points) and neatness (10 points). Infractions include a 0.5-point deduction for essays under 300 or over 500 words, a 5-point deduction for missing or incorrect title, and a 2-point deduction for wrong paper size. Schools will collect essays on December 5; slideshow entries must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on December 5 to andy.miller@davidsoncountync.gov. Miller said winners will be announced by Dec. 12.

Slideshow rules limit substantive content to no more than 15 slides, followed by a blank slide and one…