National PTA has a long-standing commitment to arts education. The Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Students submit entries by October 25th to the Sunnyvale PTA where they will be judged. Some of the entries are submitted to the Texas Regional PTA, Texas State PTA and (hopefully), National PTA for judging.
Sunnyvale PTA student members have traditionally done well in the program with many making it to the State level judging and even going to the National program.
Printable Form for Physical Entries
How to participate:
Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Special Artist (All grades welcome).*
Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS OCTOBER 25th.
The Sunnyvale PTA is proud of all of the artwork submitted by the students and will host an Art Exhibition in November with all Sunnyvale PTA students' artwork. Students must be PTA members to advance to regionals.
All submissions must be new and original work based on the theme "Show Your Voice." A large part of the judging is based how the work relates to the theme as spelled out in the Artist's Written Statement.
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Think about the theme and create your piece based on the specifications for each category (See below.)
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Prepare your piece for submission per each category rules (see below.)
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Turn in a copy of your piece to the main office
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Include your name and the name of your entry.
You can read the detailed rules from the Texas PTA here.
Dance Choreography
The act of creating movement. The choreographer may be the performer or one of the performers, but the choreographer does not have to perform in the entry. The dance can be performed by an individual or a group. An explanation of the origin of the dance and/or the significance of the choreography might be a useful addition to the artist's statement when submitting a dance choreography entry that involves traditional, cultural or regional dances. Whether an entry displays formal dance technique or a simple approach, it will be judged primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision to portray the theme, originality and creativity. The dance must: •Be a new and original work based on the theme "I am hopeful because". A large part of the judging is based how the work relates to the theme as spelled out in the Artist's (written) Statement. •Be recorded on a flash drive in one of these formats: MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, ACC (M4A) and FLAC •Not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in file size To submit a piece of literature into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “Show Your Voice” •Choreograph a dance and record a performance onto a flash drive •Place your flash drive in a ziploc bag and write your name and the name of your piece on the bag •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in the flash drive to your school’s main office.
Film Production
The process of making a film. The producer is not required to appear in the film but if the student chooses to, a camera tripod may be used. All screenwriting, directing, camera/filming and editing must be done by the student producer. PowerPoint presentations are prohibited. Entry may include public places, well-known products, trademarks or certain other copyrighted material as long as that copyrighted material is nonessential to the subject matter of the piece and/or is a smaller element of a whole. The film must: •Be on a flash drive in one of these formats: MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, ACC (M4A) and FLAC •Not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in file size To submit a music composition into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “I am hopeful because” •Compose your film and save it on a flash drive •Place your flash drive in a ziploc bag and write your name and the name of your piece on the bag •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in the flash drive to your school’s main office.
Literature
Expressing your own thoughts and ideas through the use of words. Authors submit a single literary work, handwritten or typed, using grade-appropriate grammar, punctuation and spelling. Each entry should be a single piece of literature; collections of literary work are not accepted. Any of the following literary style are acceptable for your fiction or non-fiction entry: •Prose •Poetry •Drama (screen play and play script) •Reflective essay •Narrative •Short story The entry must not exceed 2,000 words. The entry may: •Be typed by another person as long as the original work or a copy of the original work is attached. •Be dictated to another person and printed or typed in exact words as spoken by the student if the student is in Pre-K, Kindergarten or 1st Grade. •Be in a native language other than English. An interpretive translation in English must accompany the entry. To submit a piece of literature into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “I am hopeful because” •Write your piece •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in a hard copy of your entry to your school’s main office. •Include your name and the name of your Literature entry
Special Artist Eligibility
The National PTA Special Artist Division is an option for students with disabilities who receive services under IDEA or to have the opportunity and accommodations they may need in order to participate fully in the program. The Special Artist Division offers modified rules and guidelines to ensure that every student has the chance to be part of the National PTA Reflections program. How to Enter -- Students who identify as having a disability have two ways to enter the National PTA Reflections Program. All students may enter in only one division. Option 1. Enter in Grade-Level Divisions: Regardless of age, students with special needs may enter in the grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities. Students may not receive assistance other than that which is allowed for all children. The divisions are as follows: •Primary (Kinder – grade 2); •Intermediate (grades 3-5); •Middle School (grades 6-8); •High School (grades 9-12). Students are recognized and awarded as part of the general student population without regard to special needs or challenges. If you choose this option, you will submit the entry in a grade category. Option 2. Enter in Special Artist Division: Eligible students entering the Special Artist Division create their own artwork, but may receive non-artistic accommodation and assistance from an adult. Students are recognized and awarded as part of the Special Artist Division. If you choose this option, you will not submit the entry in a grade category, but will choose “Special Artist” instead. Review the specific categories to read the rules for the preferred artistic medium: •Visual Arts •Photography •Literature •Dance Choreography •Music Composition •Film Production
Music Composition
The process of creating a new piece of music. The composer is a person who expresses their own thoughts and ideas through the use of sound. The student composer may submit an entry performed by an individual or group. Student composers are not required to perform their composition themselves. Middle and high school grade divisions (6th - 12th grades) require music score/tablature/notation, either traditional or tablature. Software may be used to produce an audio recording or produce the score. The piece must: •Be on a flash drive using MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, ACC (M4A) or FLAC format •Not exceed 5 minutes in length and 1 GB in file size •Not be a video •Not contain copyrighted material To submit a music composition into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “I am hopeful because” •Compose your piece and notate it if required •Record a performance or your piece onto a flash drive •Place your flash drive in a ziploc bag and write your name and the name of your piece on the bag •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in the flash drive to your school’s main office.
Photography
Photography is the process of creating an image by focusing on objects using various lenses, filters and light sources, photographers may demonstrate the use of photographic techniques conventionally or digitally. The photographer must be the one to set the scene, lighting and take the picture. Submissions in this category must be new photographs inspired by the theme, "Show Your Voice" and should be mounted on a flat surface. Accepted forms of photography include: A single photo, panoramic, photomontage (one seamless print of multiple original photos), a multiple exposure, negative sandwich or photogram. Original black-and-white and color images are accepted. The photo must: •Not exceed 11x14 inches in dimensions, including matting. •Be mounted on sturdy material. •Not have added graphics over the image. •Be printed as one image -- including photo collages. •Not contain copyrighted material. To submit a piece of artwork into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “I am hopeful because” •Create your artwork •Mount the photograph on a sturdy material •Put your name and the name of your artwork on the back of the entry •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in your artwork to your school’s main office.
Visual Arts
Any art forms that are visual in nature including drawing, painting, collage, metal etching or punch work, fiber work or computer-generated artwork. The artist is a person who captures their own thoughts and ideas to create a visual piece of art. Art submissions must be new original art work inspired by the theme, “I am hopeful because” and should be mounted on a sturdy, flat surface. DON'T submit art work created in an art camp, but DO use the techniques from that camp to help you create a newly inspired piece of art for submission. The art work must: •Not exceed 24x30 inches in dimensions, including matting. •Be mounted on sturdy material. •Be 2D. You cannot submit artwork containing 3D objects (i.e. beads, pasta, etc.). To submit a piece of artwork into the Reflections Program: •Think about the theme “Show Your Voice” •Create a piece of Visual Art •Mount the artwork on a sturdy material •Put your name and the name of your artwork on the back of the entry •Submit a Reflections Entry Form •Turn in your artwork to your school’s main office.