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December 13, 2024By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,” the heavenly host proclaimed when Jesus was born (Lk 2:13-14).
More than 2,000 years later, people on earth – including local students –are still seeking that peace.
Students from Venerini Academy, Our Lady of the Angels Elementary, St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High and Worcester East Middle School participated in the annual Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest for youth ages 11-13 this fall.
Three other schools each had one student who entered the contest: St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School, Dr. Arthur F. Sullivan Middle School, and Forest Grove Middle School.
Chosen as winners from among 127 entries were Ella Medveczky of St. Paul’s, Elizabeth Anzalone of Our Lady of Angels, and Aerla Kodra of Forest Grove Middle School, said Kristen Keane, Worcester Lions Club secretary and contest leader. They each got a certificate and $50 gift card from the Worcester Lions Club and went on to the district level.
Aerla Kodra also won at the district and state level and is headed for the international level, Mrs. Keane reported Sunday. The international grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners are to be notified by Feb. 1.
Photos courtesy of Worcester Lions Club
Aerla Kodra of Forest Grove Middle School, won at the district and state level for the the annual Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest and is headed for the international level.
Mrs. Keane said the Worcester Lions Club also chose “school winners” from the schools with multiple entries and gave each of those students a certificate and $25 gift card, but they did not advance further in the contest.
“For peace to be anything more than a possibility, we need to make it a priority,” the website lionsclubs.org says about the contest, which the service organization Lions Clubs International has been sponsoring for more than 30 years. “This year, we’re asking our young students to create a poster that speaks to our world’s infinite potential for kindness once we commit to pursuing the idea of peace without limits."
St. Paul’s winner Ella Medveczky depicted a girl lying peacefully on a beach between two trees, with the sun and clouds overhead.
“I used water in the background because, typically, oceans are really large,” she told The Catholic Free Press. She melded ocean with sky “to show how far peace could go, because space does not have
Ella Medveczky, a winner among the Worcester entries of the poster contest and student of St. Paul Diocesan Jr./Sr. High School, stands near her poster.
limits.” The clouds are purple, a color she considers peaceful, “because it’s calming.” The trees “could promote being peaceful towards God and his creation,” she said.
“It just kind of came to me,” she said, adding that she thought God brought her the idea for the poster. “I hope it inspires a sense of peace in people and it shows to be kind to everything.”
The contest aligned with St. Paul’s mission to promote Catholic values of kindness and peace, said Sarah Coddington, school counselor for grades 7-9, who worked with art teacher Leah Prouty-Muller to help 43 interested students participate.
They wanted students to see “they are part of the solution; they can bring peace in their daily life,” she said. She and Ms. Prouty-Muller told students that “we’re part of a bigger community” - Worcester and the world. “We’re representing our school. We care about peace.”
Mrs. Coddington said she brought the art teacher to her “resource class,” which is like a study hall with community projects, and they discussed topics such as colors and themes of peace. One student depicted a staircase to heaven. Mrs. Coddington’s son Caleb, from St. Peter Central Catholic, made a colorful bird and rainbow. He wanted to participate, and the Lions Club allowed him to submit his entry with those from St. Paul’s.
“I think it’s great – the presence of the Catholic schools ... their understanding and their sense” of the need for peace, Francis Warner, Our Lady of the Angels art teacher, told The Catholic Free Press at the opening reception at the gallery showing of all the Worcester posters. It was held Nov. 14 at the Jean McDonough Arts Center in Worcester. There he saw many Christological symbols, including the cross and doves, he said.
Elizabeth Anzalone of Our Lady of the Angels Elementary School stands next to her winning poster among the Worcester entries.
He said he told his six students who accepted the challenge to participate that they needed to express what peace meant to them, but on a universal level. They are part of the after-school program “The Aspiring Creativity Enterprize” (A.C.E.).
“We can float together forever in peace through outer space,” which represents limitlessness, OLA winner Elizabeth Anzalone said, explaining her depiction of a bunch of balloons bearing different nations’ flags.
“The doves are pictured flying away from earth,” which has much evil in it (as well as good), flying towards the sun “which is the light in the universe,” she explained. She also had the sun represent God “because I go to a Catholic school.”
Venerini art teacher Susan Slepetz said she had all her middle schoolers participate in the contest.
“I think it’s important for them to learn about peace and to think about it,” she explained.