Orlando Elks Lodge #1079 held its annual Drug Awareness poster contest, continuing its commitment to educating youth about making healthy, drug-free choices through creativity and thoughtful expression. This year’s contest included students from Waterford Elementary School and Mills Creek Elementary School. Waterford Elementary, under the leadership of Principal Daniel Arbelaez-Willis, hosted its award ceremony Dec. 16 and Mills Creek Elementary, led by Principal Seth Daub, held its award ceremony Dec. 18. These were to recognize the students’ outstanding work.

The student posters reflected a powerful understanding of the long-term consequences of drug use, especially impressive given the participants’ young ages, ranging from 8 to 11 years old.

First-place winner, Celestia A. Lee, a fourth grade student from Waterford Elementary, created a striking image depicting a man who had fallen into drug use and found himself in a grave, symbolizing that it was too late to undo the damage. Above him, she illustrated what he dreamed his life could have been — a peaceful tropical vacation — representing the life lost to addiction. Her artwork conveyed how easily people can fall into drugs and how quickly poor choices can spiral out of control, wasting opportunities and dreams.

Second place winner, Angela Gonzalez, a fifth grade student from Mills Creek Elementary, shared that her poster was inspired by someone she knows who made poor choices in life. Her message focused on the importance of making the right decisions early and choosing a healthier, happier path instead. Her artwork encouraged peers to pause, think and select a future rooted in positive choices.

Third place winner, Xesus A. Lee, a third grade student from Waterford Elementary and Celestia’s younger brother, offered another thoughtful perspective. When asked about the character in his artwork, Xesus explained that although the figure appeared to be smiling, “he is really a bad man under the sticker.” When the image was revealed, the smiling figure transformed into a skeleton attempting to give drugs away, symbolizing deception and the hidden dangers behind addiction.

The Drug Awareness poster contest continues to be one of the lodge’s most meaningful youth programs, allowing students to express complex ideas through art while reinforcing prevention and education at an early age. The lodge extends sincere appreciation to the principals, teachers, families and students who participated and congratulates this year’s winners for their honesty, creativity and powerful messages. Through programs like this, the lodge remains committed to guiding young people toward safe, informed and drug-free lives.