Bay students earn top awards in Ohio PTA Reflections program
Bay High senior Tom DeCarlo (center) won the Ohio PTA Reflections Award of Excellence (First Place) in the Visual Arts-Special Artists Category. He created his work, "Fall Colors" using a special helmet created by fellow students. Left-to-right are Intervention Specialist Rick Manderine, seniors Truman Ospelt and Noah Mensen, educational aide Julie Harms, and coordinator of the helmet project, senior Will Kenny.
Bay Village Schools students earned three first-place awards, one second-place award, one Award of Merit and two Honorable Mention awards in the 2018 Ohio PTA Reflections program, an annual cultural arts program for students in preschool through grade 12.
Bay High senior Tom DeCarlo won the Ohio PTA Reflections Award of Excellence (first place) in the Visual Arts-Special Artists category. Confined to a wheelchair with limited use of his limbs, Tom created "Fall Colors" using a special painting helmet. Bay High seniors Will Kenny (helmet project coordinator), Noah Mensen and Truman Ospelt, all independent study students of technology and engineering, custom-made the helmet for Tom.
Also winning first-place Awards of Excellence in the Visual Arts category for their grade categories were first-grader Oona Louis with "The Pets Catch a Butterfly" and seventh-grader Tessa Wunder with "Around the Corner."
Other students winning state-level awards are second-grader Orion Riddel, Award of Merit for film "Climbing Hippo"; junior Ann Marie McAvinue, Honorable Mention for literature "Help! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up"; eighth-grader Avery Tenerowicz, Award of Outstanding Achievement for photograph "Shoot For the Moon!"; and senior Emma Ward, Honorable Mention for photograph "Katie."
Bay Village PTA Council's coordinator for the program is Tina Ingraham. "I'm so proud of all our Bay students who participated, and proud our PTA recognizes the important role the arts play in students' lives," she said. "It takes courage to share your voice with others, and our students deserve a community who listens and appreciates what they have to say through their art. Well done to all!"
Students are encouraged to create and submit original works of art, addressing an annual theme, in six areas: literature, visual arts, photography, dance choreography, film production and music composition. This year's theme was "Within Reach."
Bay Village PTA Council will host an art show for students, their families and the public to view all this years entries. The exhibit will be held on Thursday, April 26, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Bay Middle School cafeteria. Refreshments will be served.
Karen Derby
Director of Communications for the Bay Village City School District