writing champs

Lost Pines announces senior essay contest winners

GIDDINGS — Teal Brockenbush of Lexington High School, Erick Bandala of Elgin High School and Sharron Adair of Giddings High School won the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District’s 2025 High School Senior Essay Contest, which invited students to ref lect on water, conservation and community.

Brockenbush earned the first place award and was given $500 for her essay, “The Rain that Raised Me,” followed by Bandala in second place with “The Old Pipe,” which received $300, and Adair in third place with her essay called “More Than a Memory: What Water Means to Me,” which received $200.

“We were very moved by the depth and sincerity of this year’s essays,” said Sheril Smith, chair of the Lost Pines Ground Water Conservation District Education Committee. “These students shared powerful personal reflections while also demonstrating a clear understanding of how water shapes the strength, resilience and future of their communities.”

The contest was open to all seniors who live or attend schools in Bastrop and Lee County. The winners were honored during the district’s Dec. 17 board meeting in Giddings.