On January 25, 2023, National PTA concluded the celebration of the 2021-2022 “I Will Change the World By…” Reflections year with the Reflections Student Arts Virtual Showcase. This special event featured 20 extraordinary young creators sharing the inspiration for their national award-winning artwork, as well as a few of their parents who emphasized the importance of the arts and family engagement.
The hour-long presentation, which includes closed captioning in English and Spanish, was attended live by over 900 virtual attendees and remains archived on National PTA’s YouTube channel.
Meet Some of the Students Featured in the Showcase
Nivedhitha “Nivi” Magesh (Award of Excellence in Visual Art, Georgia) shared the inspiration for her award-winning drawing “Warmth in Every Color” as well as other photos of her paintings.
“I thought of using my art to relieve or help people if they are sad or stressed.” – Nivi Magesh
Rhyanna Murdock (Award of Excellence in Photography, Idaho) invited us all to be our best selves by lifting others up through difficult times with her award-winning photograph “Rising Up.”
“I lift others up by being a light when others can’t be.” – Rhyanna Murdock
Tyme Anusonti-Inthra (Youth’s Benefit Elementary School PTA, Maryland) revealed how he supported conservation and biology projects as a “citizen scientist” in his delightful stop-motion film titled “Mission: Citizen Science.”
“With the theme in mind, I decided to challenge myself to be a Citizen Scientist for one whole year. My data helps the scientists understand, and hopefully solve, real world problems that we are all facing.” – Tyme Anusonti-Inthra
Cadence Stewart (Newington Elementary School PTA, South Carolina) shared the meaning behind her award-winning dance choreography “Overcome,” which was created in honor the lives lost to due to gun violence and racism.
“I create dance choreography because it helps me express my feelings and thoughts when I can’t say it in words. My family supports me by always encouraging me to never give up and to send a message when I’m dancing.” – Cadence Stewart
This year’s Showcase also featured appearances by several Reflections parents, each highlighting in their own way the role that family can play in nurturing students’ creativity. Here is what some of them had to say:
“Parents and family members can support their students’ creative expression by just letting them be themselves. As parents, we see the potential in our children and there are things that we want them to accomplish, but we often overlook how they really feel and what they really want to do. Let’s continue to encourage our youth to explore, remain lifelong learners and trust the process.” – Candace Fladger (Cadence’s Mom)
“When [my children] create art, I can see them trying to express these complex ideas that they have in their heads that they’re not really sure how to say…not really sure how to put it into words…but they can put it into art. – Tonya Hamill (Otto’s Mom)
“There’s never a day without music in our family… As a family, watching them work hard on a piece to perform it on stage or to enter it into a competition, it’s so rewarding to watch and it makes us so proud because we know how much effort went into it.” – Preetha Nambi (Arvin’s Mom)
Want to hear more from these and other special guests from the 2023 Reflections Showcase? Visit National PTA’s YouTube channel and watch an archived recording of the full 2021-2022 program year Showcase, along with a celebration video honoring the 7 Outstanding Interpretation awardees of 2021-2022.
Congratulations, once again, to all the national winners from the 2021-2022 I Will Change the World By… Reflections program. To view the artwork and artist statements from all 200+ national Reflections winners, check out our virtual exhibit of student works at PTA.org/IWillChangeTheWorldBy.
The national winners for the 2022-2023 Show Your Voice! Reflections program will be announced May 1 at PTA.org/ReflectionsAwards.
In the meantime, stay connected to National PTA on social media @NationalPTA and #PTAReflections for the latest news from Reflections. For more information about the Reflections program, please visit PTA.org/Reflections. We welcome your support of this next generation of young creators!
Cathleen O’Malley is the Arts Education Fellow at National PTA.
