EVANSTON — Students from three Evanston schools participated in the 2018 National PTA Reflections Arts in Education program. Kids at Clark Elementary, Uinta Meadows Elementary and Davis Middle School entered artwork into the competition.

Reflections is an annual program that encourages kids to create artwork based on a theme, with this year’s theme being “Within Reach.” Kids can enter pieces in six different categories, including visual arts, photography, literature, dance choreography, music composition and film editing. 

Students can enter in one category or in all six, but each entry must be the original work of one student only. Interpretation of the theme counts for half of the points in the judging process, with a quarter based on creativity and another quarter on technical skill. Each entry must also include an artist statement describing the inspiration for their work. 

Kids’ artwork is judged by age-group division in each school, and Award of Excellence winners at the school level are then sent on to the state level. Excellence winners in the state competition advance to the national level. 

Multiple students from Evanston schools have advanced to the national level, where their artwork will compete against thousands of other entries from around the country. National award winners are announced in early May. In both 2016 and 2017, students from Uinta Meadows won Awards of Merit at the national level. 

Students from Uinta Meadows winning Awards of Excellence at the state level and advancing to the national competition are Jaylin Kennedy, Kyan Lawlar, Tyler Petersen, Carsten Jones, Anellina Jones, Ledger Keyes, Elizabeth O’Connell, Kyla Wiley, Henry Pullins and Liesl Botts. 

Students from Davis Middle School going on to the national level are Aidan McGuire, McKye Carver, Lizbeth Heredia and Taylor Fisher.