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MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- Two area students -- Mark Seemer of Rye Neck School and Emille Pellaud of the French-American School of New York -- have won a peace poster contest for their artwork.
Seemer and Pellaud are the winners of the inaugural local Peace Poster Contest. The contest is a tradition that the Larchmont and Mamaroneck Lions Clubs will carry on next year, said Diane Oldham.
She is director of Larchmont Lions Club and served on the contest committee.
"It was a way to engage the kids in the area. And with the world the way it is now, to get their take on what they feel peace means to them," she said.
"One of the wonderful things about giving the award is that they spoke on how they thought of peace and interpreted their art. It's fascinating. They're young, and we forget sometimes how much they know and how much they understand."
Over 100 kids participated in the contest. Oldham said next year's competition will be a big one. "Lions International is marking its 100th anniversary in 2017," she said.
The Lions International Peace Poster Contest is an annual worldwide competition for children ages 11-13, encouraging them to express their visions of world peace through art.
The winning posters were picked by judges including artists Carey Federspiel and Amanda Schlumberger and Historical Society President Dee van Eyck, based on originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, "A Celebration of Peace.”
The winning posters will advance through the district, multiple district and international levels of competition.
The 2017 Centennial Peace Poster contest is expected to be expanded beyond Larchmont and Mamaroneck to include schools from multiple Sound Shore communities, according to Larchmont Lions Club President Phil Oldham.
The local winners were honored for their participation by both the Larchmont and Mamaroneck Lions Clubs at the Larchmont Library.
In addition to the winners the following students received honorable mentions: Mikael Wind-Benitez & Brandon Molina, of Sts. John and Paul School; Victor Fontaine and Victoria Remotti of the French-American School; and Georgia Meyer and Moises Tejeida of Rye Neck School.
In addition to Diane Oldham, those who served on the contest committee were: Rose Silvestro, Mamaroneck Lions; Angela Howard, Sts. John and Paul; Rachel Levine, French-American School; and Trisha Appel, Rye Neck School.
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