After school
early bird reflections workshop, 2:30 - 5:00 in Bennett Art Room. Come and
work on your literature or art project! Bring supplies and a completed
permission slip. You will need to be picked up by 5:00.
October 21st, Monday
Lunch recess
Reflections Art Workshop in Mrs. Ball's E.C. room. Come work on a
Literature entry. Bring paper and pencils. Limited to 20 students in
each recess.
October 25th, Friday
After school
last minute Reflections Workshop, 3:30 - 5:00 in Bennett Art Room. Come
and work on your literature or art project! Bring supplies and a completed
permission slip. You will need to be picked up by 5:00.
October 28th, Monday
Lunch recess
Reflections Art Workshop in Mrs. Ball's E.C. room. Come work on a
Literature entry. Bring paper and pencils. Limited to 20 students in
each recess.
.November
25th - December 2nd
Entry
Deadline! Bring your work to the Bennett Office with a completed
OFFICIAL
ENTRY FORM.
December 16th - 20th
See your art
on display at Bennett with winners announced!
National PTA Reflections
Program
an Arts Recognition and
Achievement Program For Students
The National
PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages
students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts
Reflections Program. The program offers students the opportunity to create works
of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are
encouraged to create and submit works of art in four areas: literature, musical
composition, photography, and the visual arts (which includes art forms such as
drawing, painting, print making, and collage). In its more than 30-year history,
the program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in
American schools overseas to create works of art. The Reflections Program was
started in 1969 by then Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson.
Each year,
the Reflections Program challenges students to create art that supports a
specific theme. Themes are selected from thousands of ideas submitted by
students to the National PTA's Reflections Program Theme Search. Past themes
have included "Dare to Discover…," "If I Could Give the World A Gift…," "Imagine
That…," and "Exploring New Beginnings…"
Students
participate in the Reflections Program by submitting entries to their local PTA
or PTSA. Any PTA/PTSA in good standing is eligible to sponsor a Reflections
Program. Rules and deadlines differ from state to state; contact your state PTA
for more information and rules for sponsoring a Reflections Program in your
area.
A great learning experience
Participating
in the Reflections Program is an opportunity for students to explore and learn
about various art forms. It does not matter whether an entry created for the
Reflections Program has been created as a classroom assignment or independently
at home. Artistic exploration and expression enhance and develop intellectual,
social, and physical skills. Creating art is a valuable learning process.
When children
express themselves through words, pictures, music, photography, and other art
forms, they grow intellectually. They learn to analyze their thoughts, feelings,
and ideas. They learn to look at things, people, and experiences in a fresh and
exciting way, and they become more interested in the ideas and works of others.
The Reflections Program also helps parents encourage and recognize the
continuous self-discovery process of their children.
The National
PTA Reflections Program is designed to enhance rather than replace a quality
arts education. It provides opportunities for students to express themselves and
to receive positive recognition for their artistic efforts. Parents, teachers,
and community members all play a critical role in fostering a positive learning
environment for children. Supporting the Reflections Program is one way adults
can help create that environment.
Participation
Young artists
participate in the Reflections Program through their local PTA or PTSA. A
student may submit an entry in any of the four arts areas listed below. Only
original works of art are accepted. Depending on state and local PTA guidelines,
students may enter more than one work of art.
Arts areas
Literature
Musical Composition
Visual Arts
Photography
Film / Video
Theater
Choreography / Dance
Participation in the
Reflections Program is organized by school grade. Student works are critiqued
against others in the same grade division. This allows recognition and judging
of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels.
Grade divisions
Primary
(preschool-grade 2)
Intermediate (grades
3-5)
Middle/Junior (grades
6-8)
Senior (grades 9-12)
The Reflections Program is
structured for PTAs to recognize students at the local, council, district,
state, and national levels. Entries are first judged at the local level, where
selected works, are chosen to represent the PTA at each subsequent
level-council, district, or state-depending on each state PTA's structure. Once
entries reach the state level, the state PTA may select entries to submit to the
National PTA. Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit are recognized at the
annual National PTA Convention and are displayed as a part of the program's
traveling exhibit.
National recognition and honors
Professionals working in
the visual arts, music, photography, and literature fields volunteer to judge
student entries at the national level. Three Awards of Excellence and five
Awards of Merit are selected in each grade division for each of the four arts
areas. In addition, one Outstanding Interpretation work is chosen from among the
Awards of Excellence in each arts area from among all grade divisions. The four
recipients of national Outstanding Interpretation award have demonstrated the
most creative interpretations of the theme. These students receive a trip to the
annual National PTA Convention for themselves and one adult chaperone each. At
the convention, the Outstanding Interpretation winners are recognized for their
achievement and actively participate in a special awards presentation.
Commemorative gifts given
by the National PTA vary each year; however, all national level participants
receive a letter and certificate of participation from the National PTA.
Traveling exhibit
The National PTA sponsors
a Reflections Program traveling exhibit, which showcases all national Awards of
Excellence and Awards of Merit works from the preceding year. State PTAs and
public exhibition sites may host the exhibit. Master tapes are made of selected
music entries, literary entries are duplicated in booklets, and the visual art
and photography works are matted and labeled for the exhibit.
General rules
Please remember that
Students may submit
entries only through a PTA or PTSA in good standing
All entries submitted
must be original works and must relate to the annual Reflections Program theme
Each entry must be the
work of only one student. Assistance from teachers, parents, or friends is not
permitted except in special cases (such as for those with visual or physical
disabilities)
Participation
encourages creativity and exploration. Students should do their best, but
crooked lines, incorrect musical notes, or misspelled words do not disqualify
anyone.
A word to parents
As with any student
activity, parent involvement and support are very important. But parents must
remember that student artists need to create their own works. Children must make
their own decisions about what to create and what to enter in the Reflections
Program. By creating their own literature, musical compositions, photography,
and visual art, children not only learn about the arts, more importantly, they
learn about themselves.
Supporting
the Reflections Program is one way that you can support the arts in your home,
school, and community.
