Lakewood City Schools nurtures the arts like few schools in Ohio do. This commitment is perhaps best reflected by the district’s participation in the PTA Reflections Program, which held a ceremony for recognized submissions on April 15.
“The National PTA does a theme selection, and they encourage students across the country to submit their theme ideas,” Reflections chairperson Reagen Clawson said. “Then the committee that runs the Reflections program selects the theme for the year, and the student in the country who submitted that idea is publicly recognized in their school district and within the National PTA.”
The PTA Reflections Program is a national program run by the National PTA. Schools and their PTA programs can register to participate and hold their own competition to select entries for submission to the national level.
Each submission is based on a theme that entries must follow to be considered. This year’s theme was “I Belong.” Schools received the theme and shared it with students, who then created artwork based on it.
“I would say our primary goal at the district level, and this has been going on for probably the last few years since students started returning to school in person after the pandemic, is to really build and grow participation in the program within Lakewood,” Clawson said.
This year, there were 53 submissions across the entire district. Because of the number received, the Lakewood PTA elected to host a ceremony to honor all entries and recognize those who advanced to the district, state, and national levels.
“[The program] has always been a consistent thing,” Lakewood art teacher Autumn Sabin said. “I taught elementary, middle, and high school for over 20 years; we’ve always had this program.”
The ceremony was held at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium. Before the ceremony, attendees were able to view showcases of the artwork from within the atrium of the Civic.
A variety of artwork on display, created by students in grades K-12 had earned recognition from the Lakewood PTA. The pieces included visual art, drawings, photography, poetry, literature and video work at the pre-show showcase.
The artworks on display here were officially recognized as finalists in the school’s competition. Out of the 53 submissions, about 28 received this distinction, with even fewer earning regional or state finalist recognition.
“The most challenging part for me was the title,” participant and LHS student Cassondra Paul said. “I wanted to tie into ‘I Belong,’ but I also wanted it to tie into lacrosse and tie into what the picture meant to me.”
After viewing the showcase, guests made their way to the auditorium, where the ceremony began at 7 p.m. The ceremony began with an introduction from the PTA, welcoming members to this year’s ceremony. Members briefly explained how submissions were selected before introducing guest speaker Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux.
Vieaux delivered a thoughtful and engaging speech on how artists can shape and positively impact their communities. His remarks were comprehensive yet considerate, reflecting an appreciation for all forms of artwork. He commended participants and thanked the audience for their time before concluding his address.
After the speech, the recognition could begin. A jury of three — Inas Jassani, Reagan Clawson and Ashley Gooding — selected the pieces submitted to district competitions.
All artists recognized as participants received certificates for their achievements, while students named Lakewood finalists also received a small commemorative medal for their work.
Lakewood finalists have had their work submitted to the state level, where they will compete for additional PTA awards.
Some students have already received recognition at the state level. Harding Middle School student Catherine Ritzema placed third in the state visual arts category, while Harrison Elementary student Violet Baird and Harding’s Monroe Roberts received honorable mentions in visual arts and literature, respectively.
After distributing all the certificates and medals, the meeting concluded and attendees were dismissed.
The meeting concluded in high spirits that the Reflections program could continue for generations to come. For the members of the PTA, this was one of the most successful competitions in recent years. This program was significantly affected by COVID-19, making this one of its first true bounce-back years.
With continued growth, Reflections will likely become more popular within the school community, allowing for even more strong creative work in the years ahead.
“You’ve got nothing to lose by submitting!” Sabin said. “I know it’s cliché, but I really like that saying, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ It’s not always going to resonate or connect to you, but I think always giving it a shot is important.”
