Organizers of the annual Arizona Rosary Celebration Poster Contest awarded some two dozen artists as first place winners Oct. 30. Their posters depicted how Mary, the Immaculate Conception, affects their life.
The winners earned a trip to the Diocesan Pastoral Center where they toured the facilities and received a goody bag. They also attended Mass with Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, had lunch with him, privately discussed their artwork and received a certificate for their achievements.
Many young artists and their mom or dad also took the opportunity to take a “selfie” or formal picture with the bishop. He cheerfully obliged and also offered to sign many of the wining pieces.
The poster contest, now in its 28th year, was open to students in kindergarten through eighth-grade. Art teachers at several local Catholic schools incorporated the contest into regular classroom work.
That’s what happened to third-grader Alana Persons at San Francisco de Asís Catholic School in Flagstaff. Her mom and dad didn’t even know their twin daughters had entered until they received a call announcing that one of them had won. Persons’ poster depicted abundant, joyful life including a flower and rabbit.
St. Thomas Aquinas School in Avondale produced the most winners. Three junior high students earned first place honors.
A pair of awarded artists also came from Phoenix’s St. Gregory, St. Agnes and St. Thomas the Apostle schools plus Annunciation School in Cave Creek, Christ the King School in Mesa and Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Tempe.
Timothy Pesqueira was the only artist who entered on his own or through his parish religious education class to be awarded. He is from St. Anthony Church in Phoenix.
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2014 Poster Contest Winners
All winners are from schools unless otherwise noted. Click on name to see their artwork.
- Annunciation in Cave Creek — Royce Edwards, fifth grade; Devon Jacobi, fourth grade
- Christ the King in Mesa — Rafael Baltazar, third grade; Cambridge Bui Nguyen, sixth grade
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tempe — Mary Steffeck, eighth-grade; Anne Goodykooyntz, fourth grade
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glendale — Kelsey Cazabal, fourth grade
- St. Agnes — Amayah Dotson, second grade; Ameila Ninves Gomez, fourth grade
- St. Anthony Parish — Timothy Pesqueira, sixth grade,
- St. Francis Xavier — Lucy Ryan, kindergarten
- St. Gregory — Ava Koell, eighth grade; Samantha Villa, seventh grade
- St. Louis the King in Glendale — Savier Rascon, fourth grade
- St. Theresa — Isabella Ballesteros, second grade
- St. Thomas Aquinas in Avondale — Natalie Kasztelnik, sixth grade; Christy Tran, eighth grade; Barbara Drejro, sixth grade
- St. Thomas the Apostle — Giavanna Fernandez, seventh grade; Elisabeth Wilson, sixth grade
- St. Vincent de Paul — Carina Del Bosque, sixth grade
- Ss. Simon and Jude — Andrew Tanner, kindergarten
- San Francisco De Asís in Flagstaff — Alana Persons, third grade
- Ville de Marie —Norah Falvey, fourth grade
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Future art contests
- Try Prayer! It Works! — Open to grades K-12.
Theme: “Being about the work of my Father,” focuses on obedience and faithfulness. The participants will reflect on and express how they listen to God and how they do the work that God calls them to do, thereby living out the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.
Deadline: Feb. 2, 2015. Info.
- Leaders of Tomorrow Art and Poetry Contest — Open to grades 6-8.
Art Theme: COURAGE: acting morally in the face of fear. It’s a charism set forth by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Poetry Theme: Celebrating all four charisms of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (courage, determination, faith, love)
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2015. Info.
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