SIX HONORED IN STATE REFLECTIONS, INCLUDING SOME TOP AWARDS

[Edward Favre]

Six or our Lakewood City Schools students have had their creative work recognized as among the best in the state in the National PTA Reflections art recognition program. Two of those students earned the highest award in the state and a third was given the second highest award designation.

The works of LHS senior Samiha Abusharekh and junior McCall Gorbach-Foster were two of only 23 chosen out of 16,000 pieces submitted to the Ohio PTA to represent the state in the Reflections program’s national-level judging. Abusharekh and Gorbach-Foster both received the highest honor, Award of Excellence. Abusharekh was honored for her literature piece entitled “One Moment” and Gorbach-Foster for her music composition, “Song of Hearts.” National award recipients will be notified in June.

Lincoln Elementary fifth grader Carter Gamez won the second highest honor, Award of Outstanding Achievement, for his video “Together We Can Create Something Better.” Earning honorable mentions for their art are LHS freshmen Nora Varcho in the video/film production category, Garfield sixth grader Ian Wilt for his video, “Together We Can Achieve Success,” and Horace Mann second grader Maya George for her visual art piece, “Together We Can Save the Animals” (pictured on front page).

The Reflections program offers students from schools with active PTAs the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to submit works in six arts areas: literature, dance choreography, film/video production, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts (which includes, but is not limited to, art forms such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage). All entries must follow a chosen theme, which this year was “Together We Can….” Overall, 283 works of art were entered by district students from Early Childhood PTA, Grant, Harrison, Lincoln, Horace Mann, Roosevelt, Garfield, Harding, and Lakewood High School.

The top 24 from the 283 works submitted were selected to move on to the state competition. And now, two move on to the national level. Good luck to both as they compete with the nation’s best young artists.

We are very proud of these students and appreciate the great work of PTA.

[Danielle Masters]

Congratulations to all those amazing talented students. Well done.