Students from Westside Elementary School were recently awarded the top three spots in the Visual Arts division of the Virginia Peninsula Holocaust Art Contest. The winners, selected from 400 entries, are Brian Smith, placing third, Lorieli Wynn, placing second, and Chauncey Uzzle, who placed first. Teachers Beth Gibble, Lisa Kardos and John McLaren organized the the submissions from the sixth graders at Westside. Winners will be recognized during the annual Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony, held Wednesday, April 11th, at 7PM at the Jewish Community Center in Newport News. The third place winner will receive a $75 check, the second place winner will receive a $100 check, and the first place winner will receive a $150 check.
The Holocaust Writing/Visual Arts Competition is sponsored by the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula and made possible through the generosity of the Gary S. Sarfan and William M. Nachman Philanthropic Fund. This was the 17th year the UJC sponsored this competition. The main goal of the program is to encourage students to apply the lessons of history to the moral decisions they make today.