close

Lions award Peace Poster contest winners

4 min read
article image -
ANDREA GALABINSK Lions Club officials and those from the Academy for the Arts celebrated the Peace Poster awards. Pictured are Principal Dr. Douglas Santini, art instructor Theresa West-Taylo, the Lions Ron Manchester, students Isabelle Flores, Rachel Tharpe, top winner Mercedes Lewellen and Sarah Hamid.

Each year, members of the local North Fort Myers Noon Lions Club, and particularly committee coordinator Ron Manchester, look forward to the annual Peace Poster Awards. It honors top art projects depicting peace from talented art students at the North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts.

“We’re here today to honor the students of Mrs. West-Taylo’s class,” said Manchester in his formal presentation. “She took on a Lions Club project – the Peace Poster contest that will show up all over the world.”

This local winning poster is already on its way to the regional competition, and that winner will go to a national then international contest.

“This will take peace worldwide and we may have people from Norway, Spain or from all over Europe in which to compete,” Manchester said. “Last year it happened that the Bahamas provided the winner, so you can see this is taken from a large area.”

“I really enjoy doing the Peace Poster for the Lions Club of North Fort Myers because of the message it gets to students,” said Academy Art Instructor Theresa West-Taylo. “It is a world-wide message and meant for a worldwide audience. Students needed to keep that in mind and they got a lot of experience with this way of thinking about world peace, and what they can do as one single person to help spread that message.”

Student Mercedes Lewellen won the top prize, which included a $100 gift certificate as well as having her work sent on to the next step – the Regional Competition. Rachel Tharpe came in second and won $50, Sarah Hamid third with a $25 prize and the fourth place winner, Isabelle Flores, who also received a $25 gift certificate.

The final award from the regional competition is a $25,000 trip to Washington, D.C.

“It is something they (The Lions Club) do nationally and internationally, which is important to the arts kids,” said Academy Principal Dr. Douglas Santini. “They can come up with some really fantastic ideas, and it gives them the opportunity to come up with some for a good cause.”

“I think this was important for kids to think about, then we are teaching them more than just an art lesson,” he said.

All students said it made them stop and take the time to think about peace around the world.

“I was thinking about the earth and doves, but I ended up with something else. I went with a view of the earth, flowers and peace symbols,” said Flores.

“I was thinking about world peace and equality, that everyone should be treated equally,” said Hamid.

Top winner Lewellen is in sixth grade.

“I was thinking about the way people treat each other, and racism. Not everything should be about the color of your skin. I used the earth in hands. It should be about that way,” she said.

Lewellen’s winning poster is not in the featured photo. It has already been sent on to the next level.

The Club works through school nurse and Lions Club member Maiya Christensen to coordinate the judging.

“I think it is so important to work with the Lions Club because we work so closely together providing services for students to provide glasses for them,” said Christensen.

The Lions are known as champions of sight to the young and old, and provide numerous programs concerning vision.

“The Peace Poster is a good way to get students involved,” Christensen said. “Artistically, for our school being an art school, to understand what the Lions Club does in the community and how it affects them at school, how sometimes other students need help with glasses.”

The Lions also print cards from the student art, West-Taylo said.

“They are wonderful, and the winning entries are turned into those cards and distributed to Lions Clubs all around the world. So it is a really big honor to win the district and go onto the national competition. I’m hoping Mercedes wins the district contest and can go on to the national,” SHE SAID.

The contest is open to children ages 11-13 from around the world. But local students doing the exceptional artwork is the local Lions Club’s pride.

You can learn more about the Peace Poster Contest at lionsclubinternational.com. To learn more about the local Lions Club, call Doreen King at 217-0174.