MISD PTA Council Announces Winners of Annual Reflections Art Program

Mercer Island, WA, January 23, 2024 - 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 on Monday, March 4 from 5-7pm in the IMS Commons to honor all 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 pts), Creativity (30 pts), and Technique (30 pts). Many thanks to our unit Reflections chairs at each of our 6 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 will submit 22 to the state competition on January 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 WM You Need to Be Brave! 

Dance Choreography: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5 
1st Place: Pacey Vannater WM You Can Be Anything! 
2nd Place: Annabel Mitchell IP Count on Me 

Film Production: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5
1st Place: Yuhan Sui LR Peace
2nd Place: Pacey Vannater WM You Can Be Anything You Want To Be 

Film Production: Middle School Grade 6-8 
1st Place: Arya Hersch IMS The Nature of Hope

Literature: Primary Division Pre-school- Grade 2 
1st Place: Poppy Anderson IP My Vision of Hope 
2nd Place: Kenzie Vannater WM Great Big Hopeful World

Literature: Intermediate Division Grade 3-5 
1st Place: Kaira Reddy LR I’m Hopeful Because
2nd Place: Amina Harper LR The Sweetest Thing
3rd Place: Taylor Hua LR Hope of the Taj Mahal 

Literature: Middle School Division Grades 6-8
1st Place: Lola Melian Lafinur  IMS Athena’s Statue
2nd Place: Adrian Chan IMS Isle of Resilience
2nd Place: Ethan Moon IMS Hope to Israel 
3rd Place: Jamie Jin IMS My Box of Memories

Literature: High School Division Grades 9-12 
1st Place: Steffi Kim MIHS Chasing the Dawn
2nd Place: Justin Li MIHS Friends
3rd Place: Elena Lill MIHS Christmas 

Music Composition: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2
1st Place: Adrit Pradeepkumar LR Rising Phoenix
2nd Place: Jasper Thomson IP Star In The Sky

Music Composition: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Vivian Luo LR I am hopeful because life is growing 

Music Composition: Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Pranit Padeepkumar IMS Flair
2nd Place: Karis Huang IMS Reverie Suite
3rd Place: Ethan Shenoi IMS Fresh Air
3rd Place: Dino Hajdarpasic IMS Hands

Music Composition: High School Grades 9-12
1st Place: Simone Shenoi MIHS Lahaina
2nd Place: Avani Josyula MIHS Rock Bottom

Photography: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2 
1st Place: Mira Hersch IP Hearts Coming Out of Shells
2nd Place: Adrit Pradeepkumar LR Stories give hope
3rd Place: Kenzie Vannater WM Hopeful Nature

Photography: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Madison Janusson LR Symbol of Hope
2nd Place: Tristan Apodaca WM The Pile of Hopeful Hands
3rd Place: Yuvl Gupta LR The power of photography 

Photography: Middle School Grades 6-8 
1st Place: Emma Moberg IMS Enduring Mountain
2nd Place: Callie Baumgarten IMS The World of the Unknown
2nd Place: Pranit Pradeepkumar IMS Burgeoning of Hope
3rd Place: Arya Hersch IMS Hope Dwells in the Sun 

Photography: High School Grades 9-12 
1st Place: Simone Shenoi MIHS Look Beneath
2nd Place: Allison Huang MIHS Light
3rd Place: Heero Lim MIHS Humanity 

Visual Arts: Special Artist Division
1st Place: Zayden Baker WM Hope Tree 

Visual Arts: Primary Division Preschool-Grade 2 
1st Place: Mason Park NW I can swim 
2nd Place: Everly Wendzich IP I Am Hopeful Because Girls Can Do More
3rd Place: Mira Hersch IP Love and Life Are All Around

Visual Arts: Intermediate Division Grades 3-5
1st Place: Jessie White WM Hope in my Palm
2nd Place: Alex Wilbur IP All From a Seed
3rd Place: Blaire Wang LR Thinking Beyond
3rd Place: Beau Berry WM Light at the End of A Tunnel
3rd Place: Sri Vadlamannati LR Hope across the centuries

Visual Arts: Middle School Grades 6-8
1st Place: Brielle Pyeun IMS Dream Big!
2nd Place: Evie Pyeun IMS A Distant Future in The Light
3rd Place: Isabella Hwang IMS Metamorphosis
3rd Place: Brielle Cai IMS Vibrant Surprise 

Visual Arts: High School Grades 9-12 
1st Place: Hannah Zhou MIHS Stars and Sprouts
2nd Place: Lois Pyeun MIHS Love Conquers All
3rd Place: Natalie Lau MIHS To Me, From Me
3rd Place: Heero Lim MIHS Arts

The PTA Council and MISD greatly appreciate the work of the Reflections Unit Chairs at each school. 

Mercer Island High School - Jenny Harrington & Kaitlyn Lee
Islander Middle School - Kaitlyn Lee & 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, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ 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.