Special to the Reporter
The Mercer Island PTA Council has announced 21 first-place winners, 19 second-place finishers and 16 third-place winners in the annual Reflections Arts Program.
“I am so proud of everyone who submitted entries this year and shared their passion for the arts,” said Mercer Island PTA Council Reflections Chair Julie Hsieh.
There will be a Reflections Awards ceremony from 5-7 p.m. on March 4 in the Islander Middle School commons to honor all Mercer Island School District (MISD) students who participated. There will also be performances of select music composition pieces and a showing of visual arts, photography, literature, dance choreography and film production entries.
The PTA Council is very grateful to the 17 judges in the district who participated. All categories except for Film Production and Dance Choreography had multiple judges, who judged based on interpretation of theme (40 points), creativity (30 points) and technique (30 points). Many thanks to our unit Reflections chairs at each of our six schools.
In the spring, all entries will be showcased at Yuan Ru Art Center in Bellevue. Stay tuned for the date/time.
The PTA council submitted 22 pieces to the state competition on Jan. 18 for the next round of judging.
2023-24 PTA Council Reflections Winners
Dance Choreography: Primary Division Pre-school- Grade 2
1st Place: Hadley Nelson (West Mercer) You Need to Be Brave!
Dance Choreography: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Pacey Vannater (West Mercer) You Can Be Anything!
2nd Place: Annabel Mitchell (Island Park) Count on Me
Film Production: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Yuhan Sui (Lakeridge) Peace
2nd Place: Pacey Vannater (West Mercer) You Can Be Anything You Want To Be
Film Production: Middle School Grade 6-8
1st Place: Arya Hersch, The Nature of Hope
Literature: Primary Division Pre-school- Grade 2
1st Place: Poppy Anderson (Island Park) My Vision of Hope
2nd Place: Kenzie Vannater (West Mercer) Great Big Hopeful World
Literature: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Kaira Reddy (Lakeridge) I’m Hopeful Because
2nd Place: Amina Harper (Lakeridge) The Sweetest Thing
3rd Place: Taylor Hua (Lakeridge) Hope of the Taj Mahal
Literature: Middle School Division Grades 6-8
1st Place: Lola Melian Lafinur, Athena’s Statue
2nd Place: Adrian Chan, Isle of Resilience
2nd Place: Ethan Moon, Hope to Israel
3rd Place: Jamie Jin, My Box of Memories
Literature: High School Division Grades 9-12
1st Place: Steffi Kim, Chasing the Dawn
2nd Place: Justin Li, Friends
3rd Place: Elena Lill, Christmas
Music Composition: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Adrit Pradeepkumar (Lakeridge) Rising Phoenix
2nd Place: Jasper Thomson (Island Park) Star In The Sky
Music Composition: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Vivian Luo (Lakeridge) I am hopeful because life is growing
Music Composition: Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Pranit Padeepkumar, Flair
2nd Place: Karis Huang, Reverie Suite
3rd Place: Ethan Shenoi, Fresh Air
3rd Place: Dino Hajdarpasic, Hands
Music Composition: High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Simone Shenoi, Lahaina
2nd Place: Avani Josyula, Rock Bottom
Photography: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Mira Hersch (Island Park) Hearts Coming Out of Shells
2nd Place: Adrit Pradeepkumar (Lakeridge) Stories give hope
3rd Place: Kenzie Vannater (West Mercer) Hopeful Nature
Photography: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Madison Janusson (Lakeridge) Symbol of Hope
2nd Place: Tristan Apodaca (West Mercer) The Pile of Hopeful Hands
3rd Place: Yuvl Gupta (Lakeridge) The power of photography
Photography: Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Emma Moberg, Enduring Mountain
2nd Place: Callie Baumgarten, The World of the Unknown
2nd Place: Pranit Pradeepkumar, Burgeoning of Hope
3rd Place: Arya Hersch, Hope Dwells in the Sun
Photography: High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Simone Shenoi, Look Beneath
2nd Place: Allison Huang, Light
3rd Place: Heero Lim, Humanity
Visual Arts: Special Artist Division
1st Place: Zayden Baker (West Mercer) Hope Tree
Visual Arts: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Mason Park (Northwood) I can swim
2nd Place: Everly Wendzich (Island Park) I Am Hopeful Because Girl Can Do More
3rd Place: Mira Hersch (Island Park) Love and Life Are All Around
Visual Arts: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Jessie White (West Mercer) Hope in my Palm
2nd Place: Alex Wilbur (Island Park) All From a Seed
3rd Place: Blaire Wang (Lakeridge) Thinking Beyond
3rd Place: Beau Berry (West Mercer) Light at the End of A Tunnel
3rd Place: Sri Vadlamannati (Lakeridge) Hope across the centuries
Visual Arts: Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Brielle Pyeun, Dream Big!
2nd Place: Evie Pyeun, A Distant Future in The Light
3rd Place: Isabella Hwang, Metamorphosis
3rd Place: Brielle Cai, Vibrant Surprise
Visual Arts: High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Hannah Zhou, Stars and Sprouts
2nd Place: Lois Pyeun, Love Conquers All
3rd Place: Natalie Lau, To Me, From Me
3rd Place: Heero Lim, Arts
The PTA Council and MISD greatly appreciate the work of the Reflections unit chairs at each school.
Mercer Island High School – Jenny Harrington and Kaitlyn Lee
Islander Middle School – Kaitlyn Lee and Irene Wong
Island Park Elementary – Amy Hartman
Lakeridge Elementary – Ayesha Harper
Northwood Elementary – Chloe Eunyoung Choe
West Mercer Elementary – Suzanne Vannatter
National PTA has a long-standing commitment to arts education. The Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts, which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Each year, more than 300,000 students in pre-K through grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50-plus-year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.
Brielle Pyeun’s Dream Big! won first place in Visual Arts Middle School. Courtesy of the Mercer Island School District
