Shawnee Mission Students named National Award of Merit Winners in PTA Reflections Contest

Shawnee Mission Students named National Award of Merit Winners in PTA Reflections Contest
Shawnee Mission School District

National PTA has recognized three Shawnee Mission students for their artistic creativity in the National PTA Reflections Contest.

They are Award of Merit honorees for their interpretation of the theme, “Look Within.”  The three winners in the state of Kansas were from Shawnee Mission School District.

Recipients are:

Claire Martin, Intermediate, Dance Choreography, “Rise Up,” Corinth Elementary

Jiya Bhavsar, Primary, Music Composition, “Struggling Within Me,” Briarwood Elementary

Ishya Bhavsar, Middle School, Music Composition, “Finding,” Indian Hills Middle School

The PTA Reflections Program was founded in 1969 and is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. The program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts with the goal of boosting student confidence and success in the arts and in life.

Nearly all Shawnee Mission PTAs participate in the local Shawnee Mission Area Council PTA (SMAC PTA) Reflections Program. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts based on the current year’s theme.  Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories:  dance choreography, film, production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. The theme for the 2020-2021 program year is “I Matter Because…”

All awarded work is curated for a traveling exhibit throughout the year. This fall the artwork will be showcased in January 2021 at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington DC.

View SMAC PTA Reflections Winners Video here.