The Falmouth Lions Club is a proud participant in the Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest. Each year the club sponsors a gifted art student at Falmouth Middle School. The club congratulates all students who have participated throughout the years; and extends a special thank you to teachers Dorothy Blanchette and Megan Lovett for their help in making this project a success. Each year, a copy of the winning poster is framed and is permanently displayed in the hallways of Falmouth Middle School. In addition, the first place student’s name is engraved on a plaque located in the trophy case at the school. The club provides financial support to the project which the teachers use to purchase prizes, including art supplies, for these promising and artistically gifted students.

   Through the contest, students are encouraged to visually depict their interpretation of the contest's theme. Each poster is judged on originality, artistic merit and expression of the theme. Posters advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple district and international.

   At the international level, judges from the art, peace, youth, education and media communities select one grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners. One international grand prize winner receives a trip to a special award ceremony with the sponsoring club president and two family members at Lions Day with the United Nations in New York City, New York, USA (subject to change). There the winning artist will be presented with an engraved plaque and a cash prize of US $2,500. Each of the 23 merit award winners will receive a cash award of US $500 and a certificate of achievement.

   The Falmouth Lions Club is pleased to have sponsored the following students at Falmouth Middle School:

“The Power of Peace ”, was the theme of the 2009-2010 contest. Hwewan Kim, an eighth grade student at Falmouth Middle School was selected as the winner of this year's contest and went on to win second place at the District level. Her art teacher, Dorothy Blanchette writes of her, “Ms. Kim moved to the United States less than four years ago and When she arrived she spoke no English. Since her arrival, Ms. Kim has made tremendous strides in her ability to speak and write English. She is a talented visual artist who demonstrates particular skills in all drawing media. Her many friends, her parents, and her sister were very excited to learn that she had been selected as this year's winner.”

“Peace Without Borders” was the theme of the 2005-06 contest. Jade Russell Johnson,a fifth grade student, was selected as the Lions District 41L and Lions Multiple District 41 winner. Her poster is a finalist for the Lions International Grand Prize. Her art teacher, Dorothy Blanchette writes of her, “Jade loves art and writing most of all, but also enjoys the out of doors and some individual sports such as tennis and swimming.”

“Give Peace A Chance” was the theme of the 2004-05 contest. Maria Darrow, a seventh grade student was selected as the Lions District 41L winner. Her art teacher, Dorothy Blanchette wrote of her, “Maria is a multi-talented young woman, a talented musician, a competitive figure skater, and a very talented visual artist. She is very interested in international events and loves to meet people from other countries. ”

“Create a Brighter Tomorrow,” was the theme of the 2003-04 Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest. Local winners were: first place, Erin Morris, grade 6; second place, John Keogh, grade 8; and third place, Cameron Sheehan, grade 6. Erin Morris's poster took second place at the District 41L level of the Peace Poster competition. A total of eight clubs participated in this District's contest, submitting twelve posters in all. This means at least 384 students between the ages of 11 and 13 participated in a Peace Poster Contest in their community!

Jean Song, a Korean American student, was the club’s first peace poster contest winner. Her poster went on to receive first place awards at the District 41L and Multiple District 41 levels of the contest. Her poster was a contender for the international grand prize.

To learn more about the Peace Poster Contest and other Lions Clubs sponsored youth programs, visit the Lions Clubs International website
www.lionsclubs.org