Eight district students win state Reflections Program awards

March 13, 2023 3:30 pm
From left, Islander Middle School student Evie Pyeun’s “Declaration of Confidence” and Mercer Island High School student Maria Zhang’s “Culture.” Courtesy photos
From left, Islander Middle School student Evie Pyeun’s “Declaration of Confidence” and Mercer Island High School student Maria Zhang’s “Culture.” Courtesy photos

Eight Mercer Island School District students recently won awards in film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts in the Washington State PTA Reflections Program’s “Show Your Voice!” competition and three of the students advanced to nationals in May.

All of the Island district’s 22 state-submitted entries will be exhibited from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 25-26 at the Yuan Ru Art Center in Bellevue, 12737 Bel-Red Road, Suite 100.

The students winning outstanding interpretation awards and qualifying for nationals are: Island Park Elementary’s Yuhan Sui, “A Message to the Earth,” film production, intermediate (grades 3-5); Islander Middle School’s Evie Pyeun, “Declaration of Confidence,” visual arts, middle school (grades 6-8); and Mercer Island High School’s Ryan Hsi, “The Melting Pot,” music composition, high school (grades 9-12).

Other local district winners are: West Mercer Elementary’s Mateya Glowitz, “When They Say No,” award of excellence, film production, intermediate; awards of merit in literature for Islander Middle School’s Dalia Figatner, “The Purple-Leaved Tree,” and Island Park Elementary’s Sri Vadlamannati, “Be Yourself,” primary (pre-K through grade two); Lakeridge PTSA’s Vivian Luo, “Magic Bird Lovela Saves the Day,” award of merit, music composition, primary; and Mercer Island High School’s Maria Zhang, “Culture,” award of merit, photography.