Every year, Lions Clubs around the world sponsor the International Peace Poster Contest. First hosted in 1988, the contest (as stated by the Lions Club official website) “gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity.” This year was no different for students at Nederland Middle-Senior High School (NMSHS).

On the evening of November 9, 2021, NMSHS hosted an official peace poster event through Zoom to announce the winners of the contest. Each year has a different theme, and this year’s theme was “We Are All Connected.” Students aged 11-13 as of November 15 were eligible to participate in this year’s contest.

The posters were judged on originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme. Danielle Crouse and Josh Pepper judged the event, hosted by Ann Marie Morgan and Karen Siefert of the Nederland Lions Club. Art teacher Theresa Redmon also assisted the students in creating their original artwork.

Each poster has the opportunity to advance through different levels of competition -- local, district, multiple district, and international, the latter of which is hosted at the headquarters of the United Nations.

27 sixth-graders were judged during this year’s event, and the work of these students and an additional four sixth-graders were shown in a presentation format. Despite the occasional bout of technical difficulties, the students who attended the meeting were thrilled to share how they came up with their ideas, and the teachers, sponsors, and judges were excited to see the hard work of the students come to fruition.

Tad Collins received an honorable mention and a $25 cash prize. Penny Bodnar received third place and a $50 cash prize. Codi Waldron received second place and a $75 cash prize. Evelyne Stanton received first place and a $100 cash prize.