2008-2009 Reflections Theme: "Wow!"
For this year's rules, deadlines, and entry forms, please see the links above
Arts Recognition For Students
Reflections is an arts recognition and achievement program for students from preschool through grade 12. Participants are provide program entries in one or more categories: Dance Choreography, Film, Literature, Musical Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. Age divisions are
- Preschool through grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Grades 9-12
The goal of the Reflections program is participation, not winning. Although the program follows a "contest" format, winning should not be the emphasis. All children are gifted and talented; the Reflections program can give children who have never tried creating a work of art a chance to experiment and feel good about their work.
Reflections questions?
Contact your Regional Director or the Idaho PTA Reflections Chair:
Ronna Park
phone: (208)785-2647
e-mail: ronnap78@yahoo.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Participation
Who is eligible to participate?
Participation in the Reflections Program is open to any student through a local PTA/PTSA in good standing. It is the responsibility of the local unit to determine each student's eligibility in the Reflections Program.
May students participate through a local PTA not affiliated with their school?
State PTAs may adopt policies regarding this situation. National PTA requires only that national entries come from local PTAs/PTSAs in good standing.
May students no longer attending a PTA school still enter the Reflections Program through their former school?
State PTAs establish their own policies regarding this situation. Some states restrict this practice so it is important to contact the state PTA about its participation policy.
May home-schooled students participate in the Reflections Program?
State PTAs may adopt policies regarding this situation. National PTA requires only that national participants come from local PTAs/PTSas in good standing.
Under what division should developmentally challenged students participate?
National PTA believes that each child with a disability should be provided a free and appropriate public education. Therefore, the Reflections Program at the national level does not have a special division for students with disabilities. National PTA believes it is the right of parents to place their child in the Reflections Program grade division that best reflects the child's developmental age. However, guidelines for state and local Reflections Programs vary. Check with your state PTA to determine its guidelines.
May developmentally or physically challenged students receive help from a parent or teacher?
Rules or policies regarding developmentally or physically challenged students are left up to the discretion of each state chair and may be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Use of copyrighted material
May students use copyrighted material as a source for their artwork?
Use of copyrighted material is not
acceptable in any submission, with the following exceptions:
Photographs, visual artworks, and films may include public places, well-known products, trademarks, or
certain other copyrighted material as long as that copyrighted material is incidental to the subject matter
of the piece and/or is a smaller element of a whole. The resulting work cannot try to establish an
association between the student and the trademark/business/material, or influence the purchase/nonpurchase
of the trademarked good.
Visual arts collages may include portions of existing copyrighted works, such as photographs, magazine
clippings, Internet images, and type cut out of a newspaper, as long as those portions of copyrighted
works are used to create a completely new and different work of art. A collage should be judged for its
whole, not by its parts, and whether the resulting work stands as a creative, original work of art on its own.
Dance choreography and film production entries may use copyrighted music. The title, composer, and
performer of any music used must be credited and documented on the Student Entry Form.
Unfortunately, plagiarism is not uncommon. Plagiarized entries should be disqualified and returned to the student. If a plagiarized entry has already received an award, the arts chair needs to determine if the award (including award money, pins, certificates, etc.) should be returned. The arts chair and local unit will need to work with the student and the student?s family to help the student understand the seriousness of copying someone else?s work and claiming it as their own. School counselors or teachers might also be able to provide assistance in helping the student deal with the discovery and the consequences.
Literature
May a student use unacceptable language in an entry?
The Reflections Program makes no restriction on content or subject in the literature area. Students who are submitting entries created in a school setting should be mindful of school and/or local or state PTA standards for writing. Judges should be reminded that entries are to be reviewed for creativity, artistic merit, and interpretation of the theme.
Musical Composition
May a student use notation software for creating musical composition scores?
A student may use composition software. Imported MIDI files or files from other sources are not acceptable.
Photography
May a student submit computer-manipulated photos?
Images may be manipulated conventionally or digitally.
Visual Arts
May a student submit computer-generated visual artworks?
The National PTA organization accepts
visual artworks created digitally.
Dance Choreography
Does the choreographer (the student submitting the entry) have to be one of the performers?
The
choreography must be the work of one student and must demonstrate both creativity and interpretation of
the theme. There may be up to three dancers. The choreographer need not be one of the dancers.
Film Production
Does the student submitting the entry have to appear in the film?
The student must be the director,
screenwriter, and cameraperson. He or she does not have to appear in the film.
Display of Artwork
What student information can be displayed with artwork?
When artwork is on display, label the back of
the piece with only the student?s name, school, and town. Do not have the Student Entry Form attached to the
back of the artwork in a display setting. No one outside of PTA should have access to student information.
Develop a system to easily match and reattach Student Entry Forms to artwork for returning to the student or
sending on to the next judging level.
Judging Process
Finding Judges
You may already have a judging system in place that works well for your program. However, if you are
having difficulty recruiting qualified judges, here are some ideas of others to invite to participate:
- Art, literature, dance, film, journalism, and music educators or college/university professors
- Teachers from other schools participating in the Reflections Program
- Art museum directors, docents, curators, or historians
- Professional photographers and local artisans
- Local symphony orchestra or choral directors, musicians, conductors, or composers
- Local dance conservatories, dance studios, ballets, or theaters
- Local multimedia/video production companies
- Newspaper journalists, editors, or photographers
- Local television stations
- Arts advocacy organization presidents or directors