National PTA Reflections Program Challenges Students To ‘Wonder Why’

Once again the National PTA (Parent Teacher Association) Reflections Program is challenging students across the country to create art that supports a specific theme. The 2005-2006 program theme is “I wonder why…,” and students ages preschool through twelfth grade are encouraged to submit works of art in four areas: literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts.

In its more than 30-year history the program has invited millions of students throughout the nation to explore their artistic talents. The Reflections Program was created in 1969 by Mary Lou Anderson, who at the time was a PTA president in Colorado.

National PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through the annual Reflections Program. The 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. Once entries reach the state level, the state PTA may submit select entries to the National PTA. Professionals working in literature, musical composition, photography, and visual arts 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 national Outstanding Interpretation work is chosen from among the Awards of Excellence in each arts area.

The general rules of the program dictate that students may submit entries only through a PTA 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).

Students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade participated in a workshop at Hawley Elementary School on Thursday, November 3, held by the Hawley PTA to encourage students to participate in the Reflections Program. PTA members provided the children with materials, introduced them to the 2005-2006 theme, and instructed them on the rules of the program at the workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to generate interest in the program.

Hawley second grader Dori Farley was busy painting a watercolor as a possible entry in the Reflections Program. Dori selected the theme, “I wonder why the sun is so bright?” Her colorful, cheerful painting depicted children playing in a field of flowers under a bright sunny sky. Dori said, “I like drawing a lot and writing stuff too. I like this program because you don’t have to do a certain thing but you do have to come up with and follow a theme. It took me about 15 minutes to think up what I wanted to do.”

Supporting the Reflections Program is one way parents can support the arts in the home, school, and community. The deadline for entry submissions is Monday, November 21. For more information visit www.pta.org or call 800-307-4782.