It was hard to tell who was more excited Jan. 5 at the South-Western City Schools Council of PTAs' Reflections Art Show.
It was hard to tell who was more excited Jan. 5 at the South-Western City Schools Council of PTAs' Reflections Art Show.
Tien Stevens, a Grove City resident enrolled at the South-Western Preschool Center, proudly pointed out his photograph that won fifth place in the category for pre-K to second-grade students.
"I haven't seen this yet," said his mother, Sarah. "I'm really impressed."
Reflections is a national PTA program encouraging students of all ages to explore their creativity.
Tien's photograph was one of 422 entries submitted for judgment at the district level. The art show was held at Prairie Lincoln Elementary School.
Sixty South-Western students will have their entries forwarded to the state Reflections competition. The local awards will be presented March 21 at Jackson Middle School.
For the Jan. 5 show, students submitted works in visual arts, music, literature, dance and photography.
"What's so great about this event is that it shows how talented our students are, across all grade levels and schools," said Jenny Paskvan, chairwoman of South-Western's Reflections program.
"What Is Your Story?" was this year's theme.
"We received a lot of autobiographical pieces, but the theme is vague enough that a lot of students took it in other directions," Paskvan said.
"While the art turned in this year decreased slightly, there was a very large increase in literature," she said. "The theme ... is a likely reason."
The subject of Tien's photograph was his friend, Owen.
"I took his picture because he found a leaf," Tien said. "He was excited."
The photograph captures Owen's joy as he holds the brightly colored leaf.
"It's fun to take pictures of your friends," Tien said.
Cheyenne Fischer, a fifth-grader at Hayes Intermediate School, displayed her drawing that featured a softball theme.
"I play softball and I wanted to draw something that reflected my life," she said. "Softball means a lot to me. It's a big part of my life."
The drawing shows a softball hurtling through the air.
"I'm a pitcher, so I tried to show the softball heading over the plate," Cheyenne said.
She said she enjoys drawing almost as much as throwing a softball.
"It's a way to express your feelings about things," Cheyenne said. "It's something you get to do all yourself to express yourself."
Elise Edgar, a second-grader at Darby Woods Elementary, used crayons and markers to depict a unicorn frolicking in what she described as "a magical forest."
"There's a rainbow and it's the kind of place I think a unicorn would live," she said.
Art is a magical place, too, Elise said.
"You can do whatever your want," she said. "You just start and see where you imagination takes you."
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