WV high school, elementary school artists advance to PTA Reflections state round

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WV high school, elementary school artists advance to PTA Reflections state round

March 4, 2025

Warwick Valley Central School District is proud to share that eight student artists from our district will be advancing to the New York state level of the National PTA Reflections art competition.

The Reflections program has been honoring the work of student artists of all ages and abilities for over 50 years. Each year, students in pre-K through 12th grade are asked to reflect on a theme and create original works of art representing that theme in the categories of:

  • Dance Choreography
  • Film Production
  • Literature
  • Music Composition
  • Photography
  • Visual Arts

This year’s theme was “Accepting Imperfection.” Student submissions are facilitated at the local level by PTAs and art educators. Winning local submissions then advance through adjudicated state and national rounds.

Here are this year’s advancing Warwick Valley artists. And stay tuned for updates from the state round later this spring!  

Colbie Cartwright, Beautiful
Sanfordville Elementary School

Category: Dance Choreography Intermediate (Grades 3-5) 

Ethan Vallejo, Working On Me
Park Avenue Elementary School

Category: Film Production Intermediate (Grades 3-5)

Sienna Trentacosta, Blue bird in nest
Park Avenue Elementary School
Category: Visual Arts Primary (Pre-K – Grade 2)

Billie Gillespie, A Flower Reborn
Park Avenue Elementary School
Category: Visual Arts Primary (Pre-K – Grade 2)

Breanna O’Neill, Imperfect Family
Park Avenue Elementary School
Category: Visual Arts Intermediate (Grades 3-5)

Sara Venter, Self Reflection
Warwick Valley High School

Category: Visual Arts High School (Grades 9-12)

Tommy Knox, Light Will Shine Through
Warwick Valley High School

Category: Photography High School (Grades 9-12) 

Cavan Byrne, JUICE
Warwick Valley High School
Category: Literature High School (grades 9-12)

Sara Venter’s piece entitled Self Reflection

Sara Venter's piece entitled Self Reflection. Pencil on paper.

Thomas Knox’s piece entitled A Light Will Shine Through

Thomas Knox's piece entitled A Light Will Shine Through.

Juice, a poem by Cavan Byrne (WVHS)

Juice
By: Cavan Byrne
Naked.
The juice brand, of course.
A strawberry and banana flavored reminder of my eating disorder.
A cyclical ritual, every lunch period, for months.
A seemingly never ending supply of flavors, each one with more adjectives to describe it than
the next.
Is this even working?
I’m so tired.
Later, still.
Dodging friends every lunch period, avoiding their questions.
“Why do you have those smoothies every day?”
…
Spring, progress has been made, the numbers have gone up.
I’m not so tired anymore.
Maybe, this is good, maybe I will be okay.
I hope I will be okay.
Early summer.
The trees are fresh and green, and so am I.
I’m better now, I enjoy life in peace, without the thought of food entering my mind.
Maybe Naked wasn’t so bad after all.
I kind of like them.
Fall.
In the supermarket, walking mindlessly down the aisles.
I stop, and look up.
Naked, again.
I grab the cold, square bottle, the strawberries and bananas happily dancing on the packaging,
living, enjoying their purpose in life.
And so am I.

 

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