Caroline Giordano has an imagination just like any Washington Primary School third grader. She enjoys setting goals for herself and she dreams about reaching them.
One day, Ms. Giordano carried home information about this year’s PTA Reflections contest. She looked it over and decided on her own to develop a project to enter into it.
The third grader created a splendid watercolor drawing depicting herself doing a back handspring on lush green grass under a blue night sky illuminated by glittering gold stars.
The theme for this year’s PTA Reflections contest is “Within Reach” and if you ask Ms. Giordano, doing a back handspring is certainly within her reach, any day now.
“I feel like a back handspring is a star; just one that I’m not quite tall enough to reach yet,” the third grader wrote in her artist’s statement. “I feel like I can reach up and grab it.”
Ms. Giordano frequently wears a very serious look on her face, but the third grader also has a wonderful sense of humor. She loves art and math and she enjoys spending time drawing and training for gymnastics after school.
The self-motivated youngster said she will be attending Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School next year. Her brother, Robert is a fifth grader there now. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Ms. Giordano said.
The third grader is studying with Washington School classroom teacher Suzy Dinehart. Ms. Giordano is doing very well and she has plenty of friends.
“I really like Washington School,” Ms. Giordano said. “I think the teachers are really nice.”
The PTA Reflections contest attracts entries from about 300,000 students annually in all 50 states. “The National PTA believes that all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual Reflections program,” according to the organization’s website. “The initiative offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition.”
Students in every grade level are eligible to participate in six categories: literature, dance choreography, film/video production, musical composition, photography and the visual arts, including such forms as drawing, painting, printmaking and collage.
Millions of students of all ages across America have delved into an exploration of their artistic talents during the Reflection program’s nearly decade history. Founded in 1969, the National PTA Reflections engages nearly 300,000 students and their families in arts education activities each year, encouraging students to explore the arts for fun and recognition.
