Every year at Fernando Rivera Middle School art classes taught by art teacher Nicole Hsieh participate in the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest.  This school year, two talented seventh graders at FRS have been recognized for their artwork and chosen to win. First place was Sarah Lee and second place was Jazyln Obillo.

The Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest has been around for almost three decades and it is a competition that allows students ages 11 to 13 to show their talent and express what world peace looks like to them on a poster. The rules of the competition do not allow any numbers, letters, or words on the poster making artists use their imagination with their drawings trying to describe peace. Also, anything glued, stapled, or attached to the poster are not allowed.

During an interview, Lee expressed her happiness about winning the Lions Club Peace competition. Not only is this her first time winning in a competition, but she also won another art contest in a different school with the theme of helping someone. Lee’s art piece contains a wall that has kids help spread peace around one another. Also, she thought about recent events that have happened currently or in the past year to include.

While Obillo shares that she is really surprised and shocked that she won second place in the competition. She believed that there were other art pieces that were really impressive and better so she didn’t expect to win. Obillo describes her pieces as a bunch of country flags each representing a country as a chain locking in with one another to hold up the earth and to show that we are all together in this. Also, her drawing contains a dove which usually symbolizes peace, freedom, and love.

It is amazing to see two seventh graders, Lee and Obillo, attending FRS and winning the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest. Both posters are beautiful and creative and they were able to express their vision and thinking about peace around the world.