Reflections Winners Named

At Middle Gate

At Middle Gate School on Thursday, January 14, nine students were selected to represent their school at the state level of this year’s National PTA Reflections Program, a nationwide K–12 cultural arts program.

Judging was based on artistic merit, creativity, and interpretation of this year’s theme, “Beauty is…”. 

There were more than 75 entries divided into two age-based groups, grades kindergarten through second. and grades third through fourth, at the school this year.

Entries were accepted into six different categories: Literature, Visual Arts, Photography, Music Composition, Dance Choreography, and Film/Video.

This year, writing pieces by second grader Maddie Stites, “My Vacation — Martha’s Vineyard,” and third grader Brenna Petrelli, “Beauty is…” were selected in the Literature category.

First grader Kaitlyn Jones and third grader Kayla Terry were chosen for their Visual Arts entries, “The Moon” and “Beauty is Butterflies.”

In the Photography category, the winning selections were created by second grader Maddie Stites, “A Fall Day at the Pumpkin Patch,” and fourth grader Elizabeth Hodge, “Untitled.”

Fourth grader Serene Aryeh’s “Beauty in My Eyes” was selected in the Music Composition category.

In the Dance Choreography category, kindergartener Siena Harper with “Bella Siena” and fourth grader Dani Gaiser with “Here Comes the Sun” captured first place in their respective divisions.

Second and third place awards were presented to the following students: Erica Friedrich, Grace Eurell, Mackenzie Browne, and McKenna Timmons for Visual Arts; Claire Fiordelisi, Abigail Stites, Joshua Harper, and Alexandra Eurell for Literature; Corrin Bottom, Maddie Stites, Isabella Wakeman, and Brenna Petrelli for Photography; and Abigail Stites for Dance Choreography.

For more information on the Reflections contest visit www.ctpta.org.