The writing is on the wall for a group of area students. Twelve youths from all levels of both Catholic and Protestant school districts were presented as the St. Albert winners of an annual contest sponsored by a local chapter of a popular service club.
The Peace Poster contest is an initiative of the Lions Club International. Children from 11 to 13 years of age can submit their artistic expressions of what peace means to them based on a different theme each year. Since its inception 24 years ago, more than 4,000,000 children from almost 100 countries have participated. Annually, there are 350,000 entries.
This year’s theme was Children Know Peace. On Tuesday evening, the winners were the special guests at the St. Albert Host Lions Club’s regular meeting and their works were put on display. This was the 20th anniversary of the contest being conducted in St. Albert.
The students’ creativity knows no bounds. The pictures are imaginative, colourful and rich with expressive imagery including world flags taking the form of leaves on a single tree, people of all races playing and walking together, and lots of rainbows and bubbles.
Claude Carignan, chairman of the local campaign, was extremely pleased to be a part of something that helped bring out so much good art. He said the real objective, of course, was to get youth to think about how important peace is in the home and around the world.
“This year’s winners from the schools are very, very good,” he began, with a note about the excellence of the work. “It’s always very enlightening to hear what the students have to say about peace, not just about the theme but how, in general, they think about peace. We try to encourage students to have dialogue with their classmates, with their parents and their teachers about peace.”
The list of winners and their schools includes: Olyvia Ayotte (J.J. Nearing), Marina Canales (Richard S. Fowler), Benjamin Fisher (Vincent J. Maloney), Sidney Ford (Leo Nickerson), Samantha Gardner (Elmer S. Gish), Yka Llanes (Neil M. Ross), Yla Llanes (Vincent J. Maloney), Kaylee Lowe (Ronald Harvey), Arlyssa McArthur (Richard S. Fowler), Brianda McArthur (Vital Grandin), Nicole Pontikes (Bertha Kennedy), and Chelsey Sherbeth (Sir George Simpson).
Edgar Llanes is the proud father of two of the winners. He says that the contest serves both well, with one more interested in artistic pursuits while the other is more of an academic interested in intellectual pursuits. Either way, they both have social consciences and the contest still got the father, mother and children talking.
“They’re conscious and aware of the importance of peace, and they discuss it with us. I was a bit surprised by how concerned and how involved they are also with their young minds.”
He added how proud he was of their efforts and looks forward to seeing them enter the contest again next year.
