Following along with this year’s theme, artistic students competing in the PTA Reflections program continued to “Believe, Dream, Inspire” and will now be recognized at the statewide awards ceremony May 17 in Frankfort. The Kentucky PTA salutes the top five entries in each age group and category and sends each first-place winner on to the national competition. Places 1 through 3 receive an Award of Excellence, and places 4 and 5 receive an Award of Merit. The Creative Interpretation Award is a special state acknowledgement, and these do not advance.
In addition, Drew Mangus of Ashland Elementary has been tapped for a National PTA Award of Excellence for “The Soldier Story,” his entry in the Film Production category.
The National PTA established the annual Reflections contest in 1968. Designed to enhance a quality arts education, it enables students to express themselves and receive positive recognition for their artistic efforts. The six areas are music composition, film production, dance choreography, literature, photography and visual art (drawing, painting, print-making and collage).
Last fall, some three dozen schools submitted about 3,000 Reflections entries in Fayette County Public Schools. Each school picked its own winners and then sent up to two entries from each age group and category for district-level judging. Nearly 120 competitors received districtwide recognition in December, and the overall winners in each category advanced to this spring’s state contest. For more information, contact 16th District PTA Reflections chair Julia Craven.