Four students honored at state PTA Reflections
Two Downers Grove Grade School District 58 students earned Awards of Excellence at the national level of the PTA Reflections art competition. Congratulations to Avery Miller, a Pierce Downer fifth grader, and Jacob Valadez, an O’Neill eighth grader, for earning this prestigious award! Only four students from Illinois received a national PTA Reflections Award.
The PTA Reflections program annually invites students in grades preschool through 12 to submit original works of art in one of six categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. This year’s theme is “Look Within.”
Avery earned an Award of Excellence in the visual arts category for her creation, “Avery’s Inner Self.”
Jacob earned an Award of Excellence in the dance choreography category for his choreography called “Look Within Yourself Be Unstoppable.”
Congratulations, Avery and Jacob!
Earlier this spring, the Illinois State PTA selected 26 projects, created by 24 students, to advance to the national PTA Reflections competition. In addition to her visual arts’ entry, Avery’s photography entry, “Look Within to Find Your Heart,” also advanced to the national level.
The Illinois State PTA also awarded four District 58 students with Honorable Mentions at the PTA Reflections state level. Honorable Mentions were awarded to:
- Sean Casey, Kingsley, photography: “Open the Door”
- Sienna Chansey, Lester, dance choreography: “Dancing Hearts”
- Harper Myers, Lester, photography: “Scratching the Surface”
- Gracie Swierczynski, O’Neill, photography: “Discovering My Heritage”
This year, the Illinois State PTA received 382 art entries that advanced from the PTA Regional Reflections competition.