The Observation Deck

Since there are so many talented people on the Deck, I've decided to try to recruit my judges here.

I am the committee chair for the National PTA Reflections program at Garfield and at Roosevelt. While I probably won't need judges at Roosevelt, I most certainly (and hopefully) will need them for the Garfield group. If you aren't familiar with Reflections, it's a wonderful initiative from the National PTA to encourage kids to be creative. The theme this year is "I Can Make A Difference By . . ."

The kids can do a literary piece, art, photography, videography, musical composition, or choreography. The deadline for the kids to turn their pieces in to me is December 14th. I then have to turn 24 of them over to the Lakewood PTA by mid-Jan.

I am allowed to send 24 entries to the Lakewood PTA from those received at Garfield. If I get more than 24, the pieces have to be judged and only 24 picked. So . . . I need judges. These should be people with knowledge in any of those areas above (remembering the ages of the kids).

If you would be so kind as to donate your time (if needed) please pm me with your contact info and which category you can judge.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Boy, I wish I could convice my girls to enter this contest. My 10th grader is a talented artist, and my 8th grader loves to write stories. She's already working on her 3rd book! I just can't convince them to enter!!

Do they know that kids from Lakewood have gone to the National level and won? I'll get the details and post them.

Max Mueller and I both placed Nationally our Junior year in high school. We were the first school in the history of the Reflections contest to place nationally and be from the same school.

I ended up entering the contest because it was for a grade. I didn't think anything of it until I kept getting called down to the office for more and more certificates and awards.

There were over 21,000 pieces entered in the state of Ohio and over 450,000 nationally.

Junior year I placed third in photography, (award of merit I believe?) and my senior year I placed third in the state I believe. I don't remember.

I'd like to help out with judging!

Ivor, I was hoping you'd offer to help judge! Thanks to you and everyone else who is offering - that's what this town is all about.

I also show that Max Mueller won National Award of Excellence last year for a musical composition.

It's a really great program and offers the kids a chance to express themselves creatively. And, what better topic than - I can make a difference by . . .

We should all create our own vision of that statement each and every day. That's how we move the world.

Okay, all of you who so graciously offered to judge - and those who didn't but would like to, I have over 30 entries from the kids at Garfield but we can only send 24 to district.

I have to have the final 24 at district by Jan 11th, so let's pick a day, time, and location and get these great creative pieces judged. Most of them are literature. I haven't looked to see if they are poems or stories. Some art and some music.

Let me know please! And as always, thanks for the help. I'm not allowed to vote (thank goodness!)