By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council celebrated 12 winners of the annual Republic Services calendar poster contest on Wednesday, Jan. 28, giving each student winner an opportunity to showcase their winning artwork in a photo with the mayor.
The contest, which invited students from schools across the city to submit original artwork, sought to highlight the importance of environmental stewardship and civic pride with its theme of “How do you care for Citrus Heights?”. Each winner received a certificate of recognition as they were honored by the City Council, Republic Services representatives, and an enthusiastic audience of family, friends, and community members.
The winners were awarded for their creative interpretations of the theme. The City Council participated in the voting process by helping to narrow down the best artistic entries, Republic Services said during the meeting.
Olivia Lozynska, a 4th grader from Arlington Heights Elementary, took home the award for the month of January.
Carriage Drive Elementary had two winners, Emma Chmukh, a 3rd grader whose artwork is featured in November, and Aubbree Adams, a 4th grader, whose artwork is featured in August.
Sienna Tolman, a 2nd grader from Cambridge Heights Elementary, won for the month of December. Karoilna Gusser, a 3rd grader from Woodside K-8 was awarded for June.
Lichen K-8 had three students recognized as winners, including Emma Mason, a 7th grader, whose artwork is featured in February, Alanna Agular, a 7th grader, whose artwork is featured for September, and Juannahlyn Flores, a 6th grader whose artwork is featured in march. Flores was also previously awarded first place in the calendar poster contest in 2025.
Skycrest Elementary featured four winning submissions, including Bryson Gerolamy, a 5th grader whose artwork represents the month of July, Natan Hrama, a 2nd grader, received recognition for May, and Amy Rubio, a 2nd grader, was awarded for the month of April.
The grand prize in the contest went to Daniil Roshynets, a 3rd grader from Skycrest Elementary. Daniil’s piece will be featured on the cover of the Republic Services 2025 calendar as well as in the month of October.
All winners took the stage to pose for photographs with their artwork, alongside the Mayor of Citrus Heights. Afterward, the group of winners gathered for a group photo, celebrating not only their individual achievements but the collective pride of all the winners.
Council members and Republic Services representatives applauded the creativity of the young artists, praising their ability to express such an important message through art.
The students’ artwork is displayed in this year’s Republic Services calendar, which is free for customers throughout the city.
The City of Citrus Heights also announced it plans to feature each student artist and their artwork on their social media channels every month. Follow the city’s social media channels here.
