Steps to Getting Started with a Reflections Program

I.   Appoint an arts in education chair and committee to administer the program

II.  Download and complete a Local Unit Reflections Chair Contact Form

III. We strongly recommend the local Reflections or Arts Chair do the following:

1. Enlist support - The Reflections Program offers the opportunity to showcase the importance of the arts in education. The program can also enhance a school’s arts program by giving students a sense of achievement and recognition.

2. Encourage participation

• Involve parents by distributing program information.
• Set up an orientation/information meeting to distribute informational handouts and show the video.

3. Plan the budget - The following are some of the costs a program may incur:

• Prizes or certificates
• Lunches and gifts for judges
• Shrink-wrapping of visual arts or photography entries

4. Create a timeline - Each state establishes deadlines for each level of judging. Local PTAs need to know all deadlines within their state.

5. Recruit judges and judge the entries - Three judges is usually an adequate number for a panel. Recruit volunteer judges with expertise and background in the arts, such as local university professors, art museum educators, and non-host school teachers. Also consider retired teachers, librarians, private music teachers, local artists, and journalists.

6. Promote and publicize the program - Write press releases announcing the program’s kickoff, the judging results, and donations to the program. Send releases to local newspapers, radio, and TV stations. Alert the local paper and the community affairs department of local stations about the program.

7. Collect and exhibit the entries

• Find a place where students can submit their entries, such as a room at the participating school.
• Check to make sure that each entry is prepared correctly.
• Do not disclose information about disqualified entries. It could discourage a student from further artistic endeavors.
• Create a list of the participants’ names, age divisions, art areas, and addresses.
• Organize the entries for judges.
• Try to display the entries in a location where parents can view them after regular working hours.
• Locate a safe place to store the entries.
• Establish a return policy.

8. Prepare entries for next level of judging - Carefully pack selected entries, making them as immobile as possible. Newspaper is not recommended as a packing material because it flattens and crushes easily.

• Literature: Make sure pages are secure before packing.
• Musical Composition: Place each score and cassette tape or CD in an envelope labeled with the student’s name, grade division, and state.
• Photography: Mount or mat each photography entry.
• Visual Art: Shrink-wrap the visual artwork or cover it in paper for packing. Laminating artwork is discouraged, as lamination is almost impossible to remove. Mount or mat the entries and shrink-wrap if possible.
• Complete the Reflections Program participation form and forward it along with the selected entries to the next Reflections Program chair.
• Find a courier who tracks the package. Remember to include paperwork. If entries are sent in more than one package, specify that on the boxes, e.g., 1 of 2 boxes, 2 of 2 boxes.

9. Provide recognition - Make sure that all participants are recognized, including those with entries advancing to another level. Consider a ceremony at a school assembly, an in-class presentation, or recognition at a PTA function. This encourages future participation.

10. Participate in the theme contest - Each year a theme is chosen from thousands of student theme submissions. Ask the state office for information about how to participate. Previous themes have included

• “Love Is”
• “What a Family Means to Me”
• “I Have a Dream”
• “Exploring New Beginnings”

IV.  Creation of Artwork
Make sure students have a copy of and understand the rules of the program. Parents, friends, and teachers may not assist a student in the creation of the work. Entries must be the original creation of one student. Check with the local and state PTAs to find out if there is a restricted number of entries a student can submit.

V.  Eligibility of Participants
Students must participate in the Reflections Program through a PTA in good standing. Local PTAs may operate in schools, community centers, or businesses. It is the responsibility of each local PTA to determine students’ eligibility for the program. State PTAs may have additional participation requirements or restrictions.

VII.  Entries from students who use English as a second language
Students for whom English is not their first language may submit a literature entry in their own language. An interpretive translation must accompany the entry.

Shown Above Left
National PTA 2005-2006 Award of Merit Recipient

Eura Ha
Moanalua Middle School PTSA

“I wonder why Butterflies are so beautiful!”
Visual Arts ~ Middle/Junior Division