Reflections chooses Eaton, Sultan as national winners
Madison has two national Award of Excellence winners with National PTA Reflections, a program that identifies superior work in the fine arts.
James Eaton won for musical composition.
James Eaton, a sophomore at Bob Jones High School, and Bilal Sultan, a third-grader at Columbia Elementary School, earned the top honor from Reflections. Eaton and Sultan were chosen winners at the local school, city and state levels before advancing to the national competition.
“It was very exciting to have two national winners from the Madison City Schools,” Bob Jones PTA President Dana Trulock said.
Reflections enhances instead of replacing a quality education in the arts. Students can create expressions in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography and visual arts (pta.org/2032.asp).
The 2011-2012 theme for the Reflections program was “Diversity Means …”
“James Eaton was one of only 12 students nationwide to win the Award of Excellence for music composition,” Trulock said. Eaton titled his composition, “Diversity in Time.”
“The Reflections program has been a great outlet for my composing,” Eaton said. “After seven years of participating in Reflections, it is very rewarding to win on the national level.”
Bilal Sultan won for visual arts.
Sultan entered his original artwork in the visual arts category in Reflections. “Diversity Means Share our Cultures” was his design’s title. “I like to draw and paint,” he said.
“The topic (“Diversity Means …”) caught my attention because America is very diverse and home of many cultures,” Sultan said. “Every culture is unique. We need to bring all cultures together to make it a more peaceful and united world.”
By participating in Reflections, Sultan said that he “learned that if you work hard, you are rewarded.”
Eaton and Sultan each will receive a certificate, medallion, congratulatory letter from the national PTA president and $200.
Reflections was founded in 1969. The program has promoted creation of works of art for millions of students across the nation and overseas American schools.
For more information, visit pta.org/2032.asp.
