Calling all R.H. Dana students! How will you express why you are hopeful? You are invited to participate in this year's National PTA Reflections program, a national PTA initiative centered around the arts.
Based on this year's theme "I Am Hopeful Because...", students may submit various forms of original artwork to be entered into the competition. Discussions will take place in class with teachers in support of this opportunity. Students may work and submit them to their teacher by 9/25.
Entries are due by Monday, September 25th!
How to enter
First, let's get creative! Does your student like to dance, take photos, write short stories or poems, or maybe they love to draw? There are so many options! Their creations must be original, and can be from any of these categories:
Dance Choreography - your student is the choreographer
Film Production - your student is the producer of a fictional or non-fictional video in a style such as: animation, narrative, documentary, multimedia, etc.
Literature - your student is the author of a poem, short story, essay, etc.
Music Composition - your student is the composer of their own music
Photography - your student is the photographer of a single photo, panoramic, photomontage, etc.
Visual Arts - your student may create carpentry, ceramics, collages, photographic collages (multiple photos cut/pasted), computer-generated image, crafts, design, dioramas, drawing, jewelry, kites, mobiles, painting, printmaking, sculpture, wind chimes, etc.
For in-depth information and rules on each category please visit this page. You will find submission requirements including: accepted formats, file sizes and types, audio and video lengths, as well as many helpful tips for each category.
Physical artwork should be submitted to your child's teacher by Monday, September 25th and must include the student name, your contact information (including telephone and email address), teacher name and school on the back of the entry. For digital/electronic entries, please contact kbdoorn@gmail.com.
Need Some Inspiration?
Last year the theme was "Show your voice" and we had many students in all grades submit entries to the Reflections program! Visit this page to view the work of our winners and honorable mentions.
For other ideas and inspiration, you may also check out last year's California State PTA Reflections Art Program award recipients: See last year's state winners.
More About the Program
According to the California PTA website, the Reflections Art Program has been bringing the arts to life for more than 10 million students since 1969. The goal is to increase community awareness of the importance of arts in education by encouraging students of all ages to:
Unleash creative talents and be inspired
Express themselves imaginatively in their artwork
Experience the fun and joy of making art
Tap into critical thinking skills to create art inspired by the annual theme
Receive positive recognition for their original works of art.
R.H. Dana will plan to create another art gallery at the beginning of October for all to visit! This is also when we'll hold our judging! Winners from our school will be selected from each of the categories mentioned above, then submitted to the district level competition. If we have winners from R.H. Dana at the district level, their artwork will be submitted to the next level up, and so on.
Let's go Whales! We can't wait to see your inspiring artwork and see how you will show your voice!
Still have questions?
Email: kbdoorn@gmail.com