Whiz Kid: Albertville's Peyton McLean Wins Contest With Simple Message

Peyton McLean is a young man of few words, but with many artistic creations brewing in his fingertips waiting to find their release on paper.

Nine-year-old Peyton, a third-greader at Fieldstone Elementary, is the winner “The Bruce Gagnelius Drug Awareness Award 2010-2011,” bestowed by Lions Gov. Brian Toews.

Translation – Peyton won the award for best DARE drug awareness poster for third grade, then for all of Fieldstone Elementary, and finally for the larger Lions District.

His clever poster is a frog preaching, “Don’t Drink, Don’t Chew, Don’t Smoke….because you will croak!” He was nominated by his Principal Jeanette Aanerud, as well as other teachers.

DARE (Drug Awareness Resistance Education) is a state wide program that is taught in elementary schools with the goal of encouraging youth to resist all forms of toxic substances.

Peyton has always enjoyed drawing and most artistic outlets. “I just really like it. It’s fun to do and I can do it for a long time and not get bored,” he explained. Asked how he came up with the concept for the poster, Peyton added, “Well I knew I wanted a frog, because I can draw frogs good. Then my Mom told me frogs ‘croak’ and kids can ‘croak’ too if they do drugs”.

Peyton was honored during a ceremony at the Lion’s Club of St. Michael. He was awarded an engraved plaque and the accolades of the members. When asked what the award was for, Peyton unassumingly answered, “It’s something you put in your room”.

Peyton’s parents Kelly and Nancy of Albertville are proud of Peyton, and have enjoyed watching him see success from his work.

“It’s great that he can do something he enjoys and feel good about what he creates,” Nancy said. She said he had some extra motivation with the DARE poster. Two of his grandparents had health complications due to drinking and smoking.

In his free time, you can find Peyton playing baseball and football and later playing the same sports online via fantasy baseball and football. He plays online hockey, and suspects he would enjoy “real” hockey if it “just weren’t on ice”. He has created elaborate Lego creations and colonial era forts from popsicle sticks. In between artistic inspirations, he enjoys reading his current favorite series, “NERDS” and enjoys math class because like art, “it’s fun”.

He also likes to help out. Peyton volunteers with seniors at a local senior community where he plays the Wii with residents.

“He thought it was neat that he could spend time with them doing something he loves to do, too,” Nancy said.

Five-year-old younger brother Benton, is eager to contribute to the conversation and shows us his favorite book – with a punch line of an elephant who lost his under garments. Every time Peyton is asked a question about art, younger sibling Benton turns to the last page of his pop-out book and busts out laughing at the pantless elephant.

“He just does that” Peyton shakes his head with a smile, as he returns to explaining how he did his recent foam and stencil painting.

Peyton enjoys all forms of art, but gravitates toward drawing with pens, pencils and crayons. He points out with great gravity he designed his poster with “twistable crayons” because “they stay sharp”. His favorite subjects to draw are harps, rocket ships, rainbows and four leaf clovers.

One of Peyton’s other artistic skills is his prowess at what is generally called, “doodling”. However, unlike the typical random doodling of bored adults, Peyton’s elaborate page coverings of doodles are remarkable because they are all one connected line. At first glance it looks as though there are hundreds of small, close-knit pictures, but check again – it’s all one long line.

“Whoa!” says sixth-grader Hannah Peterson as she admires Peyton’s intricate doodles. “That’s what my teacher tried to teach us to do. From far away, it looks so cool!”

Like most highly artistic folks, Peyton shrugs off his abilities with an “I don’t know how I do it – I just do it!”