In the coming weeks, students from all over the country will be sending off their submissions to the National PTA Reflections competition, a long standing cornerstone arts program developed in 1969 by Colorado’s PTA President Mary Lou Anderson.

It is a nationwide program which provides students a chance to express and explore their creative talents. There are six categories including: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts.

“It’s a wonderful non-pressure opportunity for students to express themselves by bringing a theme chosen by one of their peers to life through art,” Laura Vouse, the SHS PTA Reflections Chair, said.

In the past, students have participated and their creative side successfully shone through as five placed in the State from Staples last year: Abigail Merlis, Emma Cataldo, Everett Sussman, Max Itin and Alice Hu.

“For my composition, I thought about unity and diversity and how I could juxtapose those ideas together in an interesting way,” Everett Sussman ’15, second place winner in Connecticut in the music composition category, said. “After I came up with the idea, it was relatively easy going.”
The theme for this year is “The World Would Be a Better Place if…” Each work of art is meant to centralize around the theme.
Students will submit their artwork to local PTAs for initial judging. Local winners will then be sent on to the State, then to National level competition for the final round of judging. The winners are announced in May.

“I chose an eclectic panel of judges who love art, life and helping others grow in their creativity,” Vouse said.

The local judges consist of a talented pool of local artists, performers and teachers. Each judge views every submission in their given field and awards students based on imagination, creativity and interpretation of the theme.

“The competition has no downsides. You get to experience what it takes to compose or film or choreograph a work of art to fit a concept with the only possible negative being that you don’t win money,” Sussman said. “That is a great deal in my book,”

If interested in participating in the PTA reflections competition this school year, the deadline for entering is Friday, January 9th.