NEW YORK, May 12th, 2022 - The Christophers announces its three top prize winners, in addition to nine honorable mentions, today in their 32nd Annual Poster Contest for High School Students.      

            Every year, students – grades 9 through 12 – are invited to create a poster that visually interprets the timeless theme, “You Can Make a Difference.” This year’s contest drew close to 500 entries from high schools all across the United States. As always, students employed a wide range of media in their submissions, from personalized photograph collages to amazingly detailed drawings. Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, and Sarah E. Holinski, The Christophers’ Youth Coordinator, observed, “Our winning poster entries this year, both digital and hand-created, continue to run the gamut on making a difference in action, from the blessing of adoption to the importance of giving of our time and talents, whether reaching out in love and friendship to the elderly, or fundraising for a worthy cause. Big or small, in a group or alone, each of us possesses the ability and drive to change our world for the better.”

            To that end, first prize winner and senior at Marjory Stoneman HS Camila Escobar depicts herself as a young toddler in her stunningly detailed black and white hand-drawn portrait. In this poster, young Escobar is being helped to walk by a man whose face is hidden, but whom Camila reveals in a note to the Christophers to be her late grandfather. The caption of her submission aptly reads, “No matter how small, you can make a difference.”

            “My grandfather [was] always very present in my life,” Escobar wrote, “from my very first steps to his last. He always told me that I impacted his life, and reminded him of his youth, which is why I wanted to use this for the theme ‘anyone can make a difference.’  Despite being so young while he was alive, I know I made a difference in his life.”

            “I have always been very involved in art,” Camila concluded reflectively, “but this year really proved that it was something I wanted to take seriously. I will be minoring in art and design at the University of Michigan next fall and using the prize money to put towards my education.”  

            Second prize winner and Central High School senior Conyae Cherry’s poster also emphasizes the value of education in a young person’s life. A personal photograph shows Cherry reading to children at a local YMCA in her hometown of Louisville, KY. Written across the top and bottom of the poster are the words, “You can make a difference…starting with the power of knowledge.”

            “During my sophomore year of high school of high school, I was involved in a program called black achievers,” Conyae explained in an email to the Christophers, “which prepares youth for their future careers, and involves them in community activities. In addition, this amazing program, opened the doors for me to explore one of my future careers, which was teaching.”

            “As I was reading to the children at the community center,” Cherry summarized thoughtfully. “I noticed that they were excited to be engage[d] with the different books and share their thoughts to the collective group. Witnessing that ignition for education inspired me to write my poster about making a difference, starting with the ‘power of knowledge.’ ”

            Third prize winner John Devereux, also a senior hailing from Kennard-Dale High School in Grove, PA, takes a more personal approach with the subject of his poster. John’s poster also features a photograph, which shows himself and his beloved Polish grandmother. It is a beautiful sunny day, and Devereux’s grandmother, while wheelchair bound, fairly glows with joy as she leans against her smiling grandson. Above them is the printed reminder, “The greatest gift you can give someone is your time,” along with the traditional caption of “You can make a difference” written across the bottom.

            “We called her Busia - Polish for Grandmother,” Devereux reminisced in a blurb to the Christophers. “Although she was in a nursing home at the time with dementia, I realized that sometimes it is the intangible gifts you can give to others that make more of an impact. With the older population, time is something that is very important to them, and it is a simple thing to give. I felt that this is one of the major ways you can make a difference in the world, and with your life.”

            As the world continues to recover from its extended period of isolation and emotional upheaval, the difference that even the smallest acts of generosity can make, both seen and unseen, truly resonate with us, now more than ever. We at the Christophers offer our heartfelt appreciation to all the applicants who worked so hard on their artistic portrayals, and the teachers who inspire them every day to “make a difference.”  

 

 A non-profit organization founded in 1945, The Christophers uses mass media to encourage all individuals to make a positive difference in the world, as expressed in the Christopher motto: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”