Trio Of Reed Students Wins Reflections Contest

By Laurie Borst

Three students from Reed Intermediate School were recognized at the state level for their submissions to the Reflections program. One of those students placed at the national level. Anna Hodge received honorable mention in Literature for her poem, “The Journey.” Benjamin Galassi placed second in Photography. Yossi Kohrman-Glaser earned first place for his musical entry, “Piano Etude in E Minor: Hurricane Season” which also received a merit award at the national level.

Reflections is a program sponsored by the National PTA. Students are invited to submit entries in six categories: Literature, Musical Composition, Photography, Visual Arts, Dance Choreography, and Film/Video Production. This year’s theme was “I Wonder Why…”

Anna Hodges is a sixth grader with a love of writing. “My Grandma wrote cookbooks and my Mom’s a poet. I guess that’s where I get it from,” she said. Anna also loves horses and would like to write for a horse magazine some day.

The idea for the poem came to her as she thought about the contest’s theme. “I was thinking about how all the ups and downs in life can lead to good things. I combined that with a journey or walk in the woods.”

Besides writing and horseback riding, Anna likes to play lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball. She is looking forward to the summer with vacation in Maine, lacrosse camp, and riding camp.

Ben Galassi, a fifth grader, has enjoyed photography since third grade. He especially likes photographing nature. His second place photo, “I Wonder Why This Bag Is In the Water…” was inspired by things he saw near his home.

“When we moved into my house two years ago, my brother and I went exploring. We liked it by the [Pootatuck] river but saw so much garbage. We found a metal grate for a grill, two plastic chairs, a metal filing cabinet, and sacks.”

He hopes his photo will raise awareness about water pollution. After he photographed the plastic bag, he found tadpoles had become trapped in it and had died.

Ben participates in soccer, swimming, and wrestling. He is also a Boy Scout. Ben hopes to become a chef. He likes to make breakfast for his mother and father and has recently begun to cook dinners for them, too.

Fifth grader Yossi Kohrman-Glaser is no stranger to Reflections awards. This is the seventh year in a row that he has won in the Music category. He has earned first place six times. This year, Yossi also earned a merit award at the national level.

Yossi has played piano for seven years. He will get an idea and a few notes will come together. Then he builds on that. He can hear the tune in his head.

The Reflections theme led him to think “Why are there so many storms lately?” His five-minute piece, “Piano Etude in E Minor: Hurricane Season,” begins with stormy sounding music.

Yossi’s favorite subject is math. Music is for fun he admits. Like his creative cohorts, he keeps busy. Besides piano, he also plays guitar and enjoys soccer and basketball.