East Fairmont Middle students give peace a chance
Dec. 16—FAIRMONT — Seventh grader Reese Williams made the winning submission in this year's annual Lions International Peace Poster contest.
The contest challenged middle schoolers to take an abstract theme related to peace, and figure out how to depict it visually as two dimensional art.
"I tell them all the time, that is truly the making of a great artist to be able to hear words, think of a theme and be able to capture it and draw it," Misty Skarzinski, art teacher at East Fairmont Middle School, said. "It's inspiring to me as a teacher to see the ideas and stuff that come out of their brains how they are able to do that."
Second place went to Jaynie Rowan.
The contest has been a regular fixture as part of the Fairmont Lions Club programming since at least the early 2000s. This year's theme was "Dare to Dream," for which over 100 students submitted entries. In collaboration with Skarzinski, the submissions were whittled down to 10, which were then turned over to the Lions for a vote. The winning entry is chosen democratically. All 10 will be placed throughout the school for the year.
The goal is to reach the international competition at the United Nations, but first the winner of the middle school competition must pass the district level of the contest. West Virginia is split up into 3 Lions Club districts. Then comes the multi-district contest. Recognition at the UN and a monetary award await whoever makes it through the international competition.
Williams' piece could be a strong contender for the highest award.
"As I looked at the poster, it was evident to me that this student was artistic," Bob Moffett, secretary of the Fairmont Lions Club and chairperson of the contest, said. "But it was also evident that she took great care to include that Dare to Dream and the poster reflected a dream and in that dream were different aspects of peace. Nailed it on the theme."
Moffett and Fairmont Lions President Bob Brummage both helped organize the contest.
The contest reflects the values that the Lions Club holds. Moffett said that the Lions themselves do little things every day that help foster peace. As a member who's traveled to the international Lions convention, he's found kinship with Lions from other countries he wasn't aware of previously. However, the mission they share to serve their community forms a common bond that brings a level of familiarity among members.
With the tense geopolitical situations around the world defined by conflicts between Israel and Palestine as well as Russia's war against Ukraine, not to mention the rivalry between the U.S. and China or between the West and Russia, peace is an important thing to strive for. The contest is also there to get middle school age children thinking about and working toward peace.
"It is obvious that these young people have strong ideas about what peace means to them," Brummage said in a press release. "I'm so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions."
Using supplies donated by the Lions, Skarzinski has the students sketch out a rough draft of their ideas on paper, with a final version done on a large piece of paper with paint, marker, color or pencil. However, art doesn't emerge from a vacuum. Before students can really consider what something such as world peace means, they have to learn more about what the rest of the world is actually like, and the inherent value found in other cultures and nationalities.
"So, it's really a geography lesson as well as a civics lesson," Skarzinski said. "I think that it's a really good lesson and students get a lot out of it and they enjoy it."
For her part, when whittling down the entries to the final 10, Skarzinski looked for things such as craftsmanship and technique. To Skarzinski, world peace means things such as a lack of hate and acceptance. Children, animals, the elderly and people in all walks of life living and working in harmony. She looked for those themes expressed visually, which were all found in Williams' winning entry. Skarzinski said Williams was meticulous in her work and articulate in expressing the essence of the contest's theme through her drawing and coloring.
Through a press release, Williams said she hopes to "plant a seed and watch it grow."
Moffett said the contest is important because it lets children grapple with the concept of peace from a young age.
"I think it is vitally important for young people to think about the importance of living in a peaceful society," Moffett said. "Not just locally, but around our state, around the country and around the world. The alternative is war. The alternative is in fighting, backstabbing and nasty things. The alternative is not worth living. Peace is a much better outlook."
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
