The Rotary Club of Wellington Presents Peace Prizes to Winning Students
Again this year The Rotary Club of Wellington sponsored various contests as part of its Annual Peace Initiative Program. Schools throughout the community participated during April and May in poster, poetry and essay contests. The involvement of the Wellington school children was tremendous and broke even last year’s record number of entries. These contests lead up to the World Peace Day ceremony at the Wellington Rotary Peace Park, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 21st.
The object, in all of the entries, was to provide a view of conflict resolution and multicultural understanding aimed at the promotion of world peace and understanding.
The winners have been chosen. The selection of winners of the Peace Poster competition for all fourth graders proved to be difficult decisions as there were many wonderful posters from all of the contestants. This year’s competition attracted over 350 submissions. Wellington’s elementary schools participated for a prize of $50 to each school’s winning student, as well as a $50 prize to the classroom teacher. An overall winner from all of the finalists was chosen and will receive a $75 check.
The Elementary Schools poster prize winners are as follows:
Equestrian Trails. Alex Venegas. Student. Ms. Rodriguez. Teacher; Elbridge Gale. Hailey Poignant. Student. Dr.Nicole Crane. Teacher; Panther Run. Jaime Waterous. Student. Mrs. Shannon Culp. Teacher; Binks Forest. Milena Chib. Student. Mrs. Karen Carney. Teacher; Both student and teacher will receive checks for $50.
The overall winner was from New Horizons. Karissa Neal will receive a $75 check. Her teacher Mrs. Jude Valdov will receive a $50 check.
Karissa’s winning poster is being used as part of the Rotary Club’s advertising campaign, and is currently on display at various businesses around the community.
The club also received poems from Middle School students. The winners are Amira Richards of Emerald Cove Middle School and Wellington Landings Middle School student Olivia Polden.
Both girls captured the spirit of the peace initiative. A special thank you also to their teachers Amy Yuzenas and Kerry Emery. A prize of $75 will be awarded to each student.
The winner of this year’s essay competition was Irieka Morris of Palm Beach Central High School. Thank you to Irieka’s teacher Ms. Joy Ostaffe for her work in guiding the student. Irieka will receive a $100 prize.
All of the winners will receive their prizes at the Rotary’s World Peace Day ceremony at the Wellington Rotary Peace Park on Royal Fern Drive at 6pm on Friday September 21st.
A community wide photographic contest is also held, with the same subject of multi-cultural understanding and conflict resolution with the aim of world peace. Both color and black and white photographs were accepted for judging. Some wonderful images were presented. This year’s winners are all from Wellington High School.
1st Place. Emily Deems. 2nd Place. CJ King. 3rd Place. Katherine Donahue.
Thank you to all the participants.
During the Rotary Club’s Peace Ceremony on Sept.21st boy and girl scout troops will march in to be honored with merit badges for a series of peace associated tests they were given earlier in the year.
Several other Peace prizes will be awarded to people from the community who were deemed to have contributed during 2012 in the promotion of peace.
The Rotary Club wishes to invite all of the winners, their teachers and families and Wellington residents, to attend the celebration.
The Rotary Club congratulates all the students and teachers and members of the community who participated and also says thank you to the volunteers from the Rotary Club of Wellington who liaised with the schools.
The Rotary Club and the Village of Wellington look forward to seeing everyone at the Peace Ceremony on September 21st.
For further information contact: Larry Kemp
Peace Initiative Co-Chair
Rotary Club of Wellington.