Berkeley County School District has some talented young artists!
The district is excited to recognize Philip Simmons Middle fifth grader Nina Nassyrov as the state winner in the 2025 Governor’s Art Contest on Litter Prevention. Additionally, Berkeley Elementary fourth grader Olivia Kirby was named the Lowcountry regional winner.
The Litter Trashes Everyone Art Contest is now officially The Governor’s Art Contest on Litter Prevention. This is an annual litter awareness art competition for all South Carolina students in grades kindergarten through fifth. Students were challenged to create a masterpiece that illustrates the theme “Litter Trashes Everyone.” Winners are selected by the state’s anti-litter organization, PalmettoPride.
The four regional winners and the state winner were all invited up to the South Carolina State House in Columbia on March 27 to be recognized for their artwork.
Nassyrov’s artwork, done in colored pencil, features a coastal bird – resembling an egret – standing in the marsh, facing a pile of litter that wound up in the bird’s habitat. Hovering above the marsh reeds are the words “Keep SC Clean! We’re in this together.”
Nassyrov said creating her artwork all started when her science teacher, Cheri Champ, tasked the class with creating anti-litter posters that she planned to submit for the art contest.
“It was pretty fun,” Nassyrov said. “It took me two days. I mostly worked on it at home, but I did a lot of it at school.”
Nassyrov is in the Gifted and Talented program at Philip Simmons Middle. While she enjoys art, Nassyrov said her favorite classes at school are band – she plays the oboe – and science. She also said she enjoys having Champ as a teacher.
“She’s really nice to me,” she said. “She’s pretty fun – she’s a really good teacher.”
Champ previously received a call on an e-learning day that Nassyrov was the state winner.
“I was really excited! I couldn’t believe it,” she said, adding that Nassyrov is a very good student at Philip Simmons Middle and she enjoys having her in class.
Champ was among those who came up to the State House to support Nassyrov, along with Nassyrov's family. Nassyrov is the daughter of Tatiana Nevarko and Dmitri Nassyrov.
The winning artist, their teacher and the school are each given a monetary award. Nassyrov and her school will each receive a framed reprint of her artwork. PalmettoPride will also commission an artist to transform her artwork into a public art piece.
PalmettoPride also selects four regional winners to represent the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate. Olivia Kirby was the Lowcountry winner. Each regional artist, their teacher and the school also receive a monetary award; Kirby and Berkeley Elementary will each also receive framed reprints of her work.
Kirby’s piece depicts a giant starfish plagued with common hazardous litter items like plastic bags, water bottles and aluminum cans. In big letters are the words: “Litter trashes everyone.”
Kirby said she opted to go with a starfish because she loves sea critters – particularly starfish. She used markers for her artwork but said she also enjoys painting.
“I do a lot of painting at my house,” she said. “I like to paint pictures of nature and animals.”
She said it took her about a week to get the picture just right. She used pencil to sketch out the creation and followed up with a black marker to outline the items in the picture.
She is in the Gifted and Talented program at BES and is also an avid writer – Berkeley Elementary Principal Ruth Butka said Kirby’s writing is just as good as her artwork.
“She is a very good student and represents Berkeley Elementary very well,” Butka said.
Kirby was joined up at the State House by her art teacher, Jana Ward, and her homeroom teacher, Heather Boltin, along with her family. She is the daughter of Sarah and Richard Kirby.
