Special to the Reporter
The National PTA’s Reflections program has once again inspired students in the Mercer Island School District, pre-K to grade 12, to explore their thoughts, feelings and ideas through original artwork.
This year’s theme, “Accepting Imperfection,” challenged young artists to embrace flaws and express their creativity in unique ways.
Awards have been given to outstanding entries, recognizing the hard work and talent of all who participated.
To honor their achievements, the Reflections Awards Ceremony will be held from 5-8 p.m. on March 5 at the Islander Middle School (IMS) Commons. The event will showcase select performances of music compositions and feature a display of visual arts, photography, literature, dance choreography and film production entries.
2024-2025 Reflections District Winners
Dance Choreography
* Primary Division Pre-school- Grade 2
1st Place: Kenzie Vannatter West Mercer (WM) I Am Imperfectly Perfect
2nd Place: Brook Vannatter WM Imperfection
2nd Place: Sky Vannatter WM I’m Still Perfect
3rd Place: Hadley Nelson WM I’m Ready
* Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Pacey Vannatter WM I’m Already Enough
2nd Place: Elena Dubow WM Different is Key
3rd Place: Annabel Mitchell Island Park (IP) Scars to Your Beautiful
Film Production
* Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Elim Bodhi WM Life in the Inkwell Ep. 1
2nd Place: Aria Doerschel WM Nobody Is Perfect
3rd Place: Carmen Hasenburg WM Voldemort’s Imperfection
Honorable Mentions: Madeleine Rogers Lakeridge (LR), Pacey Vannatter WM
* Middle School Grade 6-8
1st Place: Yuvl Gupta IMS The Art of Embracing Imperfections
2nd Place: Arya Hersch IMS Nothing Is Perfect
Literature
* Primary Division Pre-school- Grade 2
1st Place: Kenzie Vannatter WM Imperfection Is Okay
* Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Audrey Kratz WM Zap!
1st Place: Dylan Garinger WM Paint
2nd Place: Emma Dufford WM My journey to completing this project
3rd Place: Daniel Burton WM Excepting Inperfections peom
Honorable Mentions: Sophie Cheung IP, Sukhi Shodhan LR, Jayin Anbalagan WM, Archer Backer WM, Emerson Chheun WM, Carmen Hasenberg WM, Anuradha Lal WM, Zoe Lyon WM, Ivy Streelman WM, Christopher Frame WM
* Middle School Division Grades 6-8
1st Place: Arianna Zhao IMS Masterpiece
2nd Place: Claire Choe IMS Wishful Thinker
3rd Place: Jamie Jin IMS Clovers
Honorable Mentions: Ethan Moon IMS, Peter Smith IMS, Kaira Reddy IMS, Phoenix Miller IMS
* High School Division Grades 9-12
1st Place: Kavya Muralidhar Mercer Island High School (MIHS) The Myth of the Ideal
2nd Place: Chloe Long MIHS Perfect at Being Herself
Music Composition
* Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Aria Naftolin LR Long drive home
2nd Place: Adrit Pradeepkumar LR STARS AND SCRIBBLES
3rd Place: Maxwell Najafian WM Tum Hi Ho by Maxwell Najafian
* Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Pranit Padeepkumar IMS MOSAIC
2nd Place: Temuujin Batbaatar IMS Miles to Go
3rd Place: Temuulen Batbaatar IMS Faded Shores
Honorable Mentions: Karis Huang IMS
* High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Derek Hsi MIHS Scattered to Four Winds
2nd Place: Simone Shenoi MIHS Lost In Translation
2nd Place: Avani Josyula MIHS Good As New
Photography
* Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Hadley Nelson WM Lonely Chairs
* Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Zoe Hartman IP Perfectly Imperfect Leaf
2nd Place: Mira Hersch IP The Naked Tree
* Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Vincent Liu IMS Bumpy Maze
2nd Place: Madison Janusson IMS Functioning imperfection
3rd Place: Ethan Moon IMS The cut tree
3rd Place: Adrien Chung IMS Smile
3rd Place: Arya Hersch IMS Beauty in a Modern Mess
* High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: William Liu MIHS Embracing Imperfection through Nature
2nd Place: Heero Lim MIHS Out-Age
3rd Place: Xintong Zhao MIHS Cocoon
3rd Place: Amina Bat-Erdene MIHS Imperfections Where We Don’t Notice
3rd Place: Isabelle Chung MIHS Something Out There
Honorable Mentions: Spencer Whipple MIHS
Visual Arts
* Special Artist Division
1st Place: Ryan Li WM Class News by a Good Friend
* Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Jennie Wang IP I Am the Best Queen
2nd Place: Mason Park Northwood (NW) Animal Shelter
3rd Place: Anika Younggreen IP Rainbow Bubble
Honorable Mentions: Ajooni Walia IP, Reagan Mann LR, Jasper Moon NW, Charlotte Rogers NW, Kara Sloan NW, Hadley Nelson WM, Sky Vannatter WM
* Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Natalie Chan WM Chef’s Dilemma
2nd Place: Soneri Shodhan LR My Imperfect Self Portrait
3rd Place: Henrietta Holt IP Happiness in Defeat
3rd Place: Jacob White WM Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Honorable Mentions: Ari Tantayanurak IP, Aya Lagbas IP, Jiseung Park IP, Mira Hersch IP, Julia Liu-Kirk IP, Roop Walia IP, Zev Tantayanurak IP, Cecelia Smith LR, Lily Vavrichek LR, Emma Uchida NW, Lucia Milkie WM, Dylan Parcel WM, Logan Swartz WM, Hazel Dupres WM, Tessa Dachez WM
* Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Brielle Pyeun IMS Breaking Free
2nd Place: Sue-min Lee IMS Slay Baddie Queen Hammi
3rd Place: Alice Shang IMS The Imperfect Heart
Honorable Mentions: Madison Janusson IMS, Kaylee Hu IMS, Jamie Jin IMS, Isabelle Min IMS, Jessica White IMS, Yae-min Lee IMS, Nicholas Uchida IMS, Arya Hersch IMS, Eli Kim IMS, Avelin Chan IMS
* High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Isabelle Chung MIHS Lost In Seoul
2nd Place: Evie Pyeun MIHS Friendship
3rd Place: Xintong Zhao MIHS Little Insignificances
Honorable Mentions: Amber Wu MIHS, Hannah Zhou MIHS
