University Heights Lions Club

Matias Grady, a student at Fox Meadow Intermediate Center, has been selected as the round one winner at his school's 2008-09 Lions Peace Poster contest, as part of an international art competition sponsored by the Jonesboro University Heights Lions Club. The finalists were announced and presented certificates and prizes at a special all-school assembly this afternoon at the school. Around 150 student entries at FMIC, all prepared by students of Art Instructor Morgan Phillips by the November 15th deadline, were among more than 400,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 21st annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest for artists between the ages of 11 and 13 - this year's theme was "Peace Begins With Me." The students all drew posters depicting the contest theme, with the finalists judged by local artist Larry Vickers. Lions Clubs International sponsors the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere. University Heights Lions Club President Vernon Drake indicated that his club was sponsoring the annual contest in Jonesboro for the eighth year in a row in an effort to help promote the global Lions' mission of promoting peace and also to encourage young local artists.

As the FMIC round-one winner, Matias received a $50 check from the Jonesboro University Heights Lions Club. The other finalist at the school also received a cash prize: the $25 second prize went to Lara Rochester. Mr. Grady's winning poster will advance to round two district competition, and if successful there will face three more rounds of competition, with the winner of the last round being declared the International Grand Prize winner. The grand prize winner will be selected from 24 international finalists, and will receive a cash award of $2500, plus an all-expenses-paid trip for the winner and two family members to New York City for the awards ceremony next Spring at Lions Day at the United Nations headquarters. As Merit Award winners, the remaining 23 finalists will each receive certificates and a cash award of $500, with all of the finalists' posters being displayed on the Lions International web site-http://lionsclubs.org.