2021 Reflections winners express skills to ‘I Matter Because’

MADISON – Volunteers have chosen the top-ranking students who entered the 2021 Reflections Fine Arts Contest, an initiative of the National PTA.

“We’re proud of all our winners and are happy to celebrate their talent, creativity and self-expression through the arts with the Reflections program,” 2021 Madison coordinator Julie Streling said.

“Thank you to the volunteers who chaired the program at their respective schools and to the judges who took time out of their busy schedules to participate,” Streling said. “This year was challenging because we had to collect entries digitally. Photos or digital files were submitted rather than artwork itself.”

Creating from the theme, “I Matter Because,” students’ top entries at each school advanced to the city level, where judges determined overall winners for Madison City PTA. City winners advanced to Alabama State PTA.

First-place winners appear first in this list, followed by subsequent winners. The list also includes the student’s grade:

* Dance Choreography – Primary: Koume Yonemura, “Be Yourself,” Columbia Elementary School; Nora Durham, “Blooming,” Horizon Elementary School, second. Intermediate: Harshtha Chander, “Every Life Matters and Every Dream Matters,” Heritage Elementary School, fifth; Laya Gowder, “A Better Place for You and for Me,” Heritage, fifth; Maximus Turner, “Black People Matter,” Columbia, third. Middle: Oviya Gowder, “Should I or Should I Not?,” Liberty Middle School, eighth; Caroline Streling, “Why I Matter,” Discovery Middle School, eighth. High School: Shreya Sunil, “The Rhythm in Me,” James Clemens, tenth; Haeon Lee, “Chained Wings,” Bob Jones, ninth; Anisha Katoch, “This Is Me,” Bob Jones, ninth.

* Film Production – Primary: Norah Basham, “Everybody Has a Reason – They Matter,” West Madison Elementary School, second. Intermediate: Connor Streling, “Good and Bad,” Horizon, fifth; Abby Wilson, “Why I Matter,” Horizon, third; Samuel Bae, “Next Chapter,” Columbia, fifth.

* Literature – Primary: Carter Bae, “I Love You! Because,” Columbia, second. Intermediate: Arush Sharma, “I Matter Because,” Columbia, fifth; Abby Wilson, “I Matter Because …,” Horizon, third; Gaku Yonemura, “I Have a Dream,” Columbia, fourth. Middle: Caroline Streling, “Why Do I Matter?” and “A Long Journey to Get Here,” Discovery, eighth. High school: Aparna Bhooshanan, “I, too, Am American,” Bob Jones, eleventh; Yuti Das, “50 Percent,” James Clemens, tenth; William Bao, “The Journey,” Bob Jones, twelfth.

* Music Composition – Intermediate: Wylie Savage, “Sad Rainy Day,” Horizon, third; Harshtha Chander, “Esperer,” Heritage, fifth.

* Photography – Special Artist: Benjamin Wortham, “Positive Perspective,” Liberty, sixth. Primary: Brooke Rhodes, “Bright Flower,” Columbia, kindergarten; Kate Bagwell, “Sunshine Lake,” Columbia, second. Intermediate: Alice Grieve, “A Piece That Matters,” Madison elementary, third; Isabella Chilufya, “I Matter Because I Am Creative,” Columbia, fourth; Harshtha Chander, “Sun Rays,” Heritage, fifth. Middle: Sahishnu Saha, “Drinking Fire but Oozing Nectar,” Liberty, eighth. High school: Neha Singhal, “Looking Beyond Failures,” James Clemens, tenth.

* Visual Arts – Primary: Janvi Jinva, “Global Warming,” Madison elementary, first; Braelen Green, “The Vase of Art,” Columbia, second; Blake Clark, “I Matter Because,” Horizon, kindergarten. Intermediate: Kyleigh Kuepker, “A Piece of the Puzzle,” Columbia, fifth; Keegan Anacker, “Me in the Mirror,” Heritage, fourth; Ishita Rajput, “Stop Using Plastic,” Heritage, fifth. Middle: Camden Pickens, “Created in His Image,” Liberty, eighth; Emily Nolan, “Why We Matter,” Liberty, seventh. High school: Neha Singhal, “My Petals,” James Clemens, tenth; Quincy Wiggins, “Feelings,” Bob Jones, tenth; Susan Xiao, “Face of Myself,” Bob Jones, twelfth.

For more information about the contest at the state level, contact Alabama PTA at 334-834-2501 or email alabamapta@yahoo.com or visit pta.org.