Budding Artist Gets Art Grand Prize

Eight-year-old Happy Leveson-Jones, a student at The Springmont School, has won a Grand Prize in Art in the 2013 River of Words Youth Environmental Poetry & Art Contest. She is the daughter of Alison Leveson-Jones and Philip Leveson of Sandy Springs.

 Sponsored by The Center for Environmental Literacy, the annual River of Words contest is the world's largest youth poetry and art competition. It celebrates both National Poetry Month and Earth Day.

 Happy received an expense-paid trip to the awards presentation in San Francisco. Winning art and poetry will be published in the annual River of Words anthology, which is available from The Center for Environmental Literacy. Her artwork also will be exhibited at the Saint Mary's Library in Moraga, Calif., and at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.

 "I painted the picture because I want people to see what the sea looks like if it wasn't full of trash," Happy said. She enjoys art and loves animals, particularly under-the-sea creatures. Favorite subjects include jellyfish, rainbow fish, dolphins and turtles, which were featured in her prize-winning drawing. Her art teacher is Springmont's Theresa Dean.

 "Happy was so (quietly) proud and thrilled at receiving the award," said Alison, her mother. "She wore it sightseeing, through the airport, on the plane, and to Springmont.

" This budding young artist likes playing outdoors, swimming and baking. Her favorite subject is math.