“I often tell people I’m doing well when life is really a struggle. In ‘Timeline of My Life,’ I use my voice to share my true self. First, you hear the calm of my early years when life was simpler. Then, you hear different themes in major and minor keys that represent my struggles and triumphs. The ending C minor arpeggio indicates that life is ultimately hard, but the final high C represents my hope for a better future, both for myself and the world. I was inspired by my two favorite types of music: classical and pop.”
This artist’s statement from Allison Liebl’s winning musical composition beautifully encapsulates the 2022 PTA Reflections Art Contest, whose 2022 theme was “Show Your Voice.”
Twenty-three CCUSD students, including Allison, received first, second and third place awards for their heARTfelt winning entries. The 2022 PTA Reflections Art Contest is an annual program that provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Each year, 300,000+ students in Pre-K through grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy and increase confidence. Entries are first judged by individual school sites, then advanced to district level, then advanced to state and on to nationals.
To participate, students submit an original piece of their own independent work inspired by the theme, in any of the following six areas: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Photography, Music Composition and Visual Arts. Culver City Council of PTA, which runs the local competition, received a range of entries from TK-High School in all artistic mediums.
“The program does a great job of elevating the arts in our community every year and also raises awareness about the issues our students care about. This year’s theme challenged them to share a message through their art – to ‘show their voice’ and the most popular topics included kindness, being yourself, as well as some more serious subjects like the impact of war,” said Council PTA 1st VP and Reflections Chair, Megan Oddsen Goodwin. “It’s inspiring to see how young people absorb these issues and process them into products that are so beautiful and unexpected. It should give us all hope.”
Congratulations to all of the following winners, who hail from multiple school sites. (Bold indicates first-place winner.)
Photography:
Alex Lockwood, 2nd grade, La Ballona, Feather Art
Georgia Lockwood, 4th grade, La Ballona, Cloudy Mountains
Visual Arts:
Anahita Reeves, TK, El Rincon, I Love (3rd place)
Alden Chan, 1st grade, Farragut, Magic House (2nd place)
Isabella Barreras, 1st grade, La Ballona, Roar
Lucy Brooes, 5th grade, Linwood Howe, Midnight Voices
Jules Keough, 5th grade, Farragut, Stronger Together (2nd place)
Noomi Cuculich, 5th grade, La Ballona, Beautiful World (3rd place)
Eowyn Daines, 7th grade, CCMS, Clean Our Oceans
Juliette Boutin, 11th grade, CCHS, Save Ukraine!
Music Composition:
Moxie Holbert, 2nd grade, La Ballona, Riding My Dog to the Moon
Saoirse Holbert, 4th grade, La Ballona, Rock Rainbow
Lucas Vila, 4th grade, La Ballona, I Love School
William Liebl, 4th grade, Farragut, You Can Make It Happen (2nd place)
Lana Eilbeck, La Ballona, 3rd grade, The Adventures of Kalo (2nd place)
Ava Eslamimehr, Farragut, 2nd grade, A Peaceful Composition (2nd place)
Mila Petrella, 7th grade, CCMS, Window Watcher
Allison Liebl, 10th grade, CCHS, Timeline of My Life
Literature:
Arya Rath, 4th grade, Farragut, Not One of the Crowd
Suhaan Patel, 8th grade, CCMS, The Silent Threat
Maya Farrell, 7th grade, A Little Activist (2nd place)
Lucy Pristave, 6th grade, The Voice (3rd place)
Dance Choreography:
Maya Chayce Mandel, 4th Grade, Farragut, This Is Me!
The winners will be recognized during the January 10, 2023, School Board meeting. We will share the complete slide show of their work then.
All judging was based on the numerical scoring system set forth by the state PTA for the following criteria:
Interpretation of Theme (40 pts)
Creativity (30 pts)
Technique (30 pts)
The program is currently seeking unit coordinators at the different school sites for the 2023-2024 school year. Please contact your PTA president or Megan Oddsen Goodwin of the council PTA if interested: [email protected].
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