What is it?

What is Reflections?

• PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts Reflections Program.
• When children express themselves through words, pictures, movement, music, photography and other art forms, they grow intellectually.
• Each year, the Reflections Program challenges students to create art that interprets a specific theme.

Participation

• Young artists participate in the Reflections Program through their PTA.
• Students may participate in the following arts areas: literature, musical composition, photography, the visual arts, dance choreography, and film production.
• Only original works of art are accepted.
• Entries may be created as a classroom assignment or independently at home.

Organization

• Participation in the Reflections Program is organized by school grade. This allows recognition and judging of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill level.
• Grade divisions are: Primary (preschool – grade 2), Intermediate (grades 3-5), Middle/Junior (grades 6-8) and Senior (grades 9-12).
• Special Education: entries may be submitted in the grade division that best reflects the child’s developmental age.

Recognition

• The Reflections Program is structured for PTAs to recognized students at the local, council, area, state, and national levels.
• Every student who enters is recognized.
• 20% of entries at the local level advance to the next level of judging.

Word to Parents . . .

• Parent involvement and support are very important.
• 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.

How is Reflections implemented at Hill Elementary?

As part of this program, your child’s entries will be on display at Hill for everyone to admire and appreciate.  We try to have a lot of fun with Reflections, so there will be prize drawings to promote the program and a special prize drawing reserved only for students who participate.  We wrap up the program with a wonderful reception where parents, friends and teachers are invited to join us as we recognize all participants with ribbons, award trophies for category finalists, and feast on refreshments while marveling at the creativity that abounds from our children.

But wait, there’s more!  The category finalists (top 20% of entries as determined by arts professionals in our community) advance to judging at the AISD level.  It is then possible for entries to advance to the state and national levels.  Entries are judged in each category, by grade division (Pre K – 2^nd and 3^rd – 5^th), and assessed primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision to portray the theme.  As an improvement to this year’s program, every participant will receive positive feedback on their entries from the judges at the local level.