WATER-SAVING MESSAGE TO TRAVEL FAR.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

Fifth-grader Devin Francom usually draws tanks and military aircraft, but he went ahead and painted a fairy godmother reminding a little boy to conserve water for a class project, and it's a winner.

The Newbury Park boy's painting was among 33 selected to be part of the annual calendar put out by the Metropolitan Water District and sent to thousands of water users across Southern California.

Not bad for a painting that was practically drying on the way to school after the then-fourth-grader cranked it out at breakfast time.

``Well, I got lucky,'' said the Maple Elementary School student. ``That's what happens with most of the last-minute assignments I do.''

Water district officials said Devin's was among more than 100 posters illustrating water use with everything from rainbows to charts that were submitted from across the six counties the MWD serves.

Also honored was then-fifth-grader Nicole Palmer from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District area, who drew her poster last year while a student at Willow Elementary School.

The winners' posters will become part of the district's 25,000-copy 1999 calendar, which will be distributed throughout the district. The calendars haven't been created yet, so officials don't know yet where Devin's picture will be placed.

The students completed the posters last school year as part of Water Awareness Month in May, when many classes study water issues through curriculum from the MWD.

``We want students and adults to learn where their water comes from, where it gets to them, how it is used in and around the home and how it can be better used,'' said Aurilla Maas, coordinator for the annual calendar project. The hope, she added, is that students develop ``an appreciation for how precious water is.''

Devin, 10, who wants to be an Air Force pilot when he grows up, was cramming to finish his project when he developed his winning piece.

First he came up with the concept: A boy who conserves water by turning the faucet off while he brushes his teeth.

Next, the presentation. ``I saw a fairy godmother, I saw it in a book, I thought it might be a good picture to draw,'' he said.

The message came from class lessons about water conservation. It reads, ``Always brush your teeth but remember to turn off the water.''

``We learned that, well, just that not to waste water, that brushing your teeth and turning off the water was a good example,'' he said.

Because time was of the essence that morning before school started, Devin needed to work quickly - that meant watercolors, not crayons or markers, he said.

``It's faster,'' he said about the watercolors. ``Because it spreads.''

The result is a gray-haired tooth fairy flying overhead, broadcasting the water-saving message as a boy brushes his teeth.

Devin was honored by the Calleguas Water District on Wednesday night for his work. His was the only entry chosen from the district that provides water service to the area, and is one of 27 in the MWD system.

Devin, who enjoys playing basketball or soccer and practicing the violin, said he learned how to paint at a summer class. He said he also has learned a lot about saving water, which he said is important for a range of reasons.

``One thing is the water bill. Other things are just wasting water isn't good,'' he said.

As for his own water-conservation habits, Devin said he's still working on them. ``When I think about it, I turn it off,'' he said about his tooth-brushing routine. ``But I don't really think about it a lot.''

Still, he was glad to be able to help get the word out on water conservation and have thousands of people see his winning picture.

``That'll probably be cool,'' he said.

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PHOTO (Color in Conejo Edition only) Devin Francom's creation will be part of the Metropolitan Water District's 1999 calendar. The 10-year-old's painting urges people to save water while brushing their teeth.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News