Heritage High sophomore wins Rotary Club youth poster contest

By Dawnmarie Fehr Correspondent

Arif Hasan, a Heritage High School sophomore, has been interested in art his whole life but had never entered a contest. His bright, colored-pencil piece, “Empower Nature,” caught judges’ eyes at the Rotary Club of Brentwood’s recent third annual Youth Poster Contest. The competition gives local middle and high school students a chance to express themselves.

“I left my message up to interpretation,” said Arif, 16, who won first place in the high school division. “It feels pretty good to win.”

Members of Rotary collected posters from East County middle and high school students, giving them a platform to stand up and speak about issues important to them.

“This is more of a ‘messaging’ contest than an art contest,” said Rotary member and event co-chair Oscar Peccorini. “Posters are judged on the impact of the student’s message and how they utilize creativity, expressive language and original art to communicate their message.”

Cash awards were given to first-, secondand third-place finishers in the high school and middle school divisions. A matching amount was also donated to each winner’s school art program. All posters are on display at the Delta Art Gallery at 2485 Sand Creek Road in Brentwood.

Peccorini said Rotary received an overwhelming number of entries this year.

“We had over 140 posters turned in, more than double from the year before,” he said. “It’s great to see the Youth Poster Contest is gaining momentum and we are very excited to see what lies ahead for 2024.”

The contest is sponsored in part by Rotary, local art studios, the Delta Gallery and local businesses.

Middle School winners:

• 1st place - Peer Pressure, by Eva LomackSousa, $300 – Bristow Middle School