Programs, Awards and Recognitions - New York State PTA

Initiating a Reflections Program
Reflections is a National PTA
program whose purpose is to provide
an opportunity for students to use
their creative talents by expressing
themselves through their own original
works. Begun in 1969, this cultural arts
program in open to children in grades
pre-K-12. The arts are an important part of every child’s
education. And, just as important, the Reflections Program
is a fun project that can involve students, parents, teachers
and the community.
Each year a new student-submitted theme is selected and
students are asked to interpret that theme in their work in
the art areas of Dance Choreography, Film Production,
Literature, Musical Composition, Photography and Visual
Arts.
Reflections is a specific program that involves juried works
progressing through the levels of PTA until National PTA
winners are judged. This does not mean, however, that a
PTA cultural arts committee cannot pursue other activities
to involve families in the arts and to show the value of the
arts.
Beginning
It is easy to begin a Reflections program. The first thing
to do is to establish a committee to determine the level of
interest in this type of project. The committee could be
comprised of interested PTA members, teachers, the school
principal, a school board member, a local artist or musicians.
The committee is established by the PTA executive board.
New York State PTA offers a Reflections workshop as part
of its leadership training which is available at Summer
Leadership Conference.
National PTA publishes rules which are available under the
Programs tab on the New York State PTA website each fall.
Region PTAs may offer Reflections workshops on “how
to’s”. New York Parent Teacher and Our Children (OC)
magazine periodically contain helpful articles. Contact the
region PTA Arts In Education/Reflections chair or the New
York State PTA reflections specialist. Consult National
PTA’s website for further reference. Enlisting support will
be easy, if everyone has access to information.
If the committee recommends initiating a Reflections
program, a report should be made to the executive board,
and the program affirmed by vote. A Reflections program
has specific rules which must be adhered to.
The next step
A Reflections committee is created and a chair appointed.
At the first meeting, everyone on the committee should be
given copies of “How to Conduct a Reflections Program,”
downloaded from the New York State PTA website at www.
nyspta.org. Contact your region PTA for assistance.
Talk to the principal and art, music and English teachers
to determine whether Reflections projects can be created
at school or at home. Distribute information to parents,
teachers and students about the program and advertise the
theme. National PTA website has a gallery that can be shown
at a PTA meeting. Invite a Region PTA representative to a
PTA meeting to discuss the program. Write an article for the
newsletter. Duplicate the Reflections information available
at www.pta.org and through Reflections mailings.
Know the timeline necessary to meet deadlines
At present, rules only include the state deadline; individual
region deadlines for the juried works from local PTAs to
be submitted to their region PTA are published in region
newsletters, mailings and on region PTA websites. Only
region winners are sent to New York State PTA, where
another round of judging is used to determine the works
that will represent the New York State PTA at the National
PTA level. The deadlines must be met at each level.
Plan a budget and decide how to encourage student
participation. At one school, the Arts In Education Chair
visited each classroom (with consent of the teachers and
principal) to explain the program to the students and to
hand out a flier explaining when afternoon “arts activity
stations” would be available for students who had
questions. These stations were manned by members of
the committee who understood the program and its rules
and who shared hints with the students about how they
could start their project. PTAs may wish to apply for the
MaryLou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant
Program, a matching grant fund to establish or enhance arts
programming, to assist in funding Reflections activities.
The grant information is available in the Awards section of
www.pta.org.
Respect the work of all students
A Reflections program may generate hundreds of entries.
Impartial, confidential, blind judging must be arranged.
You will need to work with artists, writers and musicians
outside your local school as judges. Works may need to
be transported and the winners shipped to the region PTA.
Organize the collection and judging of entries. Design an
award ceremony for local winners, and recognize every
entrant with a participation certificate using forms available
on the website. Return artwork with care so that nothing is
lost and each participant feels valued and respected.
Ensure success
A unit embarking on a Reflections program must be in
good standing in order to participate. Keep in touch with
the president to ensure that your unit is indeed in good
standing. Direct any questions locally to the region PTA
Reflections chair or region director, or the New York
State PTA Reflections specialist (reflections@nyspta.org).
Follow all Reflections program rules and review all entry
forms to ensure completeness, accuracy and readability.
Don’t risk disappointing children because adults didn’t do
their homework.
New York State PTA Resource Guide 11 Section 10 - Programs, Awards and Recognitions