The winning entries for the Belle View Elementary School’s “Reflections” contest are now on display outside the school's cafeteria through March. “Reflections” is a PTA-sponsored arts recognition and achievement competition open to students in preschool through grade 12. This year’s theme was “I am really happy when…,” and students could choose to enter in the categories of literature, musical composition, photography, or visual arts.
Third-grader Graham Andreae’s entry, about how giving books to the homeless makes him happy, won an Outstanding Interpretation in the Photography category, and his entry moved up to the District Level. Andreae was recognized at the recent District Reflections awards ceremony.
Winners at the Cluster-level (Belle View’s sub-group within Fairfax County) included: in the Literature category, Annelieske Sanders, first grade, Award of Excellence for “The Happiest Moments of My Life”; Julie LaBelle, fifth grade, Award of Merit for “What Makes Me Happy; and Amanda Raffaele, sixth grade, Award of Merit for “I Feel Happiest When…”
In the Visual Arts, Emma Pace, second grade, won an Award of Excellence for “I Am Really Happy When I See Playful Ponies at Sunset.”
IN ADDITION, Belle View Elementary winners include Matt Karau, second grade, for his entry in the Photography category; and Harrison Rosenfeld, fifth grade, and Lizzy Lunday, sixth grade, for their Visual Arts entries. Runners-up include Charlotte Banning Winckler, second grade, Literature; and Momina DiBlasio, fourth grade, Literature.
Tayler Aitken, Joseph Alexander Richards, Bradley Speakman, and Sami Al-Saadawi received Honorable Mentions in the Visual Arts category.
Louise Potter was the faculty sponsor for the contest, and the Reflections committee was led by coordinator Judy Johnson. In all, 55 Belle View students entered the contest. All students who entered received a certificate of participation.
The Reflections Program was started in 1969 by National PTA board member Mary Lou Anderson as a venue for students to create and be recognized for original works of art based on a pre-selected theme.