Zaugg this year's Peace Poster winner

DAVENPORT--Tanner Zaugg, son of Tyler and Aleisha Zaugg, an eighth-grade student at the middle school here, has taken the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the local Lions Club.

Zaugg's poster was among more than 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 35th annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Cub International is sponsoring the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere.

This year's theme was "Lead with Compassion."

Zaugg said his poster showed people carrying a compass leading to the field of peace. It is an open field for freedom and the white poppies represent not only peace, but respect for all victims of war. There are also pink cosmos flowers which represent love and peace.

The people following are helping others and trying to help people along the way. The people at the back are coming out of the darkness of selfishness and into the glorious sunlight of brotherhood and cooperation.

Visual Arts Teacher Kathleen Posey said 22 seventh and eighth-grade students participated this year. She said that there were wonderful entries, but Zaugg's talent and time spent really put his peace poster above the rest.

Zaugg's poster will advance to face stiff competition through the district, multiple districts and international rounds of competition. The second-place winner was Tessa Peterson and third place was Marty Muonio.