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With another school year now behind us for so many, Texas PTA has been encouraged by all the student involvement in the arts this past year. In recent weeks, I had the privilege to take part in a few surprise reveals for our seven Outstanding Interpretation Award recipients for Reflections. When I visited Special Artist Matthew Thompson at Bowie High School (watch it here), I did not expect it to turn into such an emotional experience. Matthew’s entire class lauded him with clapping, shouting, and big smiles all around! All of his supporters, including his parents and teachers, were there to witness the surprise announcement. Matthew’s visual arts entry, “Wild Flower Happy,” spoke volumes on the 2017-2018 Reflections theme, “Within Reach”. What a magnificent experience it was to witness the power of the arts. I am very proud that Texas PTA can offer this National program to students. And I sincerely appreciate each Local Reflections Chair, Council Chair, and all individuals who believe in this program and in the impact the arts can make on our students.
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This coming year will be the 50th anniversary of National PTA’s Reflections program and the theme will be “Heroes Around Me." Start planning now and continue to encourage your students to participate. Let their inner creativity shine!
For more information and resources, visit Texas PTA online.
Risa Ginther
Texas PTA Arts in Education Liaison
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Outstanding Interpretation Award Recipients
(click to watch)
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The Texas PTA state award ceremony for Reflections will be held Saturday, July 14 at the brand new Austin Central Library. This celebration will be a real treat for all attendees and their family members. The newly-built Central Library opened its doors in October 2017 and overlooks Lady Bird Lake in the center of downtown Austin. Not only can visitors enjoy the scenery from the library, but also the urbanized architecture including a living rooftop garden, reading porches, and of course, comfortable reading spaces. We cannot wait to celebrate our artists’ accomplishments in such a perfect location! View all the students' entries who received an award at state-level judging here.
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| LAUNCH will be held July 20-22 in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole. This PTA extravaganza offers an opportunity for learning, networking, and fun with fellow PTA members. Besides the Annual Meeting, Arts in Education Basic Leadership Training and Reflections-specific sessions will be offered. Rounding out our weekend, we will celebrate this year’s Outstanding Interpretation Award recipients during the back the future brunch on Sunday. We cannot wait to meet these outstanding artists and hear their stories. To register for LAUNCH, visit Texas PTA online.
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| Texas Commission on the Arts Young Masters is a grant program that provides exemplary art students in grades 8-11 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, musical theater, and media arts. The program received 315 applications for 2018 and 15 Young Masters were awarded grants of $5,000 per year for two years to further their studies in their chosen arts disciplines. This is a great reward for young artists to pursue their passion. For more information about the program and the November 2019 deadline, visit Texas Commission on the Arts online.
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| Exciting Ways to Experience the Arts What if the art museum experience comes to you? Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) offers Art-To-Go, a lending library service. Through Art-To-Go, community leaders throughout Texas can borrow arts resources free of charge. The materials — which can be integrated from Kindergarten through 12th grade — include DVDs, children's books, study guides, and poster sets, and they're all available throughout the year. Find out more here.
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| 1-800-TALK-PTA | 408 West 11th Street | Austin, Texas 78701 | txpta.org
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