In December 1962, President John F. Kennedy stated, “To further the appreciation of culture among all the people, to increase respect for the creative individual, to widen participation by all the processes and fulfillments of art — this is one of the fascinating challenges of these days.”

Nearly half a century later, providing arts education and participation for all Americans is still a challenge, but the National PTA’s Reflections program is one way to foster and reward creativity among students in preschool through grade 12.

The Lake Washington PTSA Council is a sponsor of the program, with 39 participating schools from the Lake Washington School District and more than 750 Reflections entries this year.

Students have submitted entries in six categories of the arts: visual art, photography, literature, film (video production), dance (choreography) and music composition. This year’s Reflections theme is “Beauty is …” and students had to include statements explaining how their work of art related to that theme.

“Every year, I’m astonished by the thought that goes into this and the quality of students’ work,” said Cindy Poon, who is co-chairing the LW PTSA Council’s Reflections program this year, along with Fang Koh, Kelly Trace and Connie Walsworth.

Entries were first evaluated at the school level, then at a regional level, and now approximately 50 submissions will be sent to the state competition. From there, judges at the state level will choose 20-25 entries representing Washington to advance to the national competition.

The community is invited to view/listen to regional entries, including 1st-place winners for “Outstanding Interpretation,” 2nd-place winners for “Awards of Excellence” and honorable mentions or “Awards of Merit” at the Reflections Art Show 2010 Reception. The reception will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 at the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) Resource Center, 16250 NE 74th St. in Redmond Town Center.

“We’ll have some cookies and punch, display all the entries and set aside some rooms for listening to music or video viewing,” said Poon. “This is for the whole community to enjoy. You don’t have to be a Lake Washington parent.”

The Reflections entries will also remain on public display during normal business hours at the LWSD Resource Center, Jan. 11-13.

According to the National PTA Web site, “When children express themselves through words, pictures, music, dance, and other art forms, they grow intellectually and socially. They learn to analyze their thoughts, feelings, and ideas; learn to look at things, people, and experiences in a fresh and exciting way; and become more interested in the ideas and works of others.”

That is the purpose of the Reflections program. Every participating student receives a ribbon and certificate and those who advance to state receive extra ribbons, said Poon.

For more information about Reflections, visit http://www.pta.org