The PTA Reflections is a multi-media art competition that takes place nationally every year. The Monroe-Woodbury Central School District has participated in this competition for years.

It is a competition open to all students, from kindergarteners all the way up to seniors. Each year, a theme is chosen and students are encouraged to prepare a piece of art in relation to that theme.

This year’s theme is “Heroes Around Me,” and the categories available for entering include dance choreography, photography, film, literature, music composition, and visual arts. This contest is held by the National PTA and allows students to be as creative as they want in any category.

“Every year the theme changes, providing students an opportunity to express themselves through one, or multiple, art forms,” wrote Shannon Chambers, PTA president, in an e-mail.

Students are not limited to one entry and can enter in all categories if they would like. The awards students can receive range from district level up to state and national levels, and those awards give students confidence in their future creative endeavors.

“Entries are judged on creative ability and interpretation of the theme,” said Chambers.

The winners of the local and regional level are recognized at an awards ceremony. New York State PTA Reflections winners are acknowledged at the New York State PTA Convention and their pieces are displayed in Albany. National PTA Reflections winners are displayed at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and featured at the National PTA Conference.

The goal of this contest is to inspire students to make use of their imagination and to put their creativity into action. The most important part is for the participating students to have fun.

It is necessary for students to fill out the entry form in order to participate in Reflections which can be found here. The deadline to submit both the entry form and all submissions for the year 2018-19 is November 9.

According to the National PTA Reflections, the contest helps “increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.”

Advancing to states for her literature piece, Kierlyn Seeley said her experience in the contest was “nerve-wracking.”

Kierlyn explained how she rewrote her piece many times, losing inspiration. She writes, ”eventually events turned into emotion and emotion turned into inspiration.”

She also goes on to say how she finds it interesting the way others interpreted her work compared to her own thinking.