On November 29, 2017 a small group of students, parents and educators participated in an awards program at Westlake High School to celebrate the participates and winners of the 2017 reflection contest. In 2016 the school only had 4 entries, but this year they were able to grow that number to 86.
Westlake high school has some very talented students. Last year, the graduating class students were awarded over 8 million in scholarships and awards. 14 of the 86 recipients move to the next level in the competition.
The National PTA Reflections program was started in 1969 by the Colorado State PTA President, it is now an international program that includes the PTAs in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and many US Military Schools overseas, as well as the 50 state PTA programs. The Utah PTA website states, “National PTA Reflections welcomes, free of charge, students from all grades and abilities to explore and be involved in the arts. Annually, thousands of students will reflect on a common theme and create original works of art in the categories of Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts.”
The program awards two different types of awards, they include Award of Excellence and the Award of Merit. The Award of Excellence is the given to the entries that are judged to be the best in their category, and will move to the next level of judging. The Award of Merit recipients are the runners up and are recognized at the school, council, and regional level. Winners of the Award of Excellence can now move to the council, region, state, and eventually national levels. In Utah there are currently 21 regions, some of the regions are large enough to be broken down into councils. There are 56 councils in Utah. Each level in the PTA is allowed to forward up to 30 entries – 5 for each of the 6 arts categories.
This years Reflections theme was “Within Reach”, next year the theme will be “Heroes Around Me”.
WHS REFLECTIONS 2017-18 Awards Ceremony: “Within Reach” – November 29, 2017
Award of Merit Literature
Myley Alexander, Aspyn Bedingfield, Hayley Bishop, Auralee Davies, Bailee Durrant, Benjamin Gerber, Brooke Hogge, Ella Olsen, and Abigail Peck
Literature Award of Excellence Winners
Libby Webb “Remember.”, Evan Jensen “Within Reach”, Isabelle Carter “Recovery”, Chancellor Strasburg “Within Reach”
Dance Choreography Award of Excellence
Ariana Marzan-Cruz “An Uncertain Mind”, Lily Hammons “Nearly Home”
Film Production Award of Excellence:
Peyton Gerber “Your Dreams are within Reach … Go Get Them”
Photography Award of Excellence:
Ben Goertzen “Time for a Change”, Peyton Gerber “Anything is Within Reach”, Katherine Kieffer “Emerging”, Olivia Turnville “Bee the Impossible”
Visual Arts, 2D, Award of Excellence:
Hayden Furey “Seasons of Goals”
Music Composition Award of Excellence:
David Yostrum “Within Reach”, Nicolas Ducos “Song for the Lost”
Sponsors for this year included: Marty D. Van Wagoner (CPA, Commercial Auditor), Walmart, The Glass Slipper, Intel Micron Flash Technology, Battle Ball, Arctic Circle, Wendy’s
Additional Resources
Utah PTA Reflections PageMike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.
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