Each year the national PTA sponsors the Reflections contest, in which students can create and submit works of art in a variety of genres. Rim of the World High School, under the guidance of George Whitty, has participated for the past several years.
The 2023-2024 Reflections theme was “I Am Hopeful Because….” Thirteen Rim High students submitted photographs, 10 students submitted works of visual art and two students submitted films.
The photograph taken and submitted by Tomas Viramontes titled “The Hope We Practice” was awarded first place in the local contest. It went on to win a state Award of Merit, something Whitty says is very hard to do.
Tomas’ photograph shows the counter-protest to the visit by the Westboro Baptist Church. In his artist statement, the recent Rim High graduate says, “On an early September morning stood a group of protestors, holding signs that flaunted slurs and disrespected the tragic death of a beloved LGBTQIA+ ally, shot for displaying a Pride flag. Rather than leave such hate unchecked, our close-knit community came together to reject it with resounding demonstrations of unity and love. This photograph illustrates the theme and my message: I am hopeful because our community stood for inclusivity and supported each other in the face of prejudice. The people in the image exemplify hope, epitomize its optimism and empower those who feel their heartwarming message of support and acceptance.”
“Regrowth” – Avery Weber
“A Budding Hope” – Justus Stewart
Avery Weber’s photograph titled “Regrowth” took second place and Justus Stewart’s “A Budding Hope” took third.
“Robotic Redemption” – Nina Hidajat
In Visual Art, Nina Hidajat’s painting called “Robotic Redemption” won first place. Her painting shows a modern-day effort to clean up the mess left behind by humans. In her artist statement, Nina – who just completed her sophomore year at Rim High – says, “I am hopeful because, even though there are many problems in the world, we are still trying to fix them…. We have not lost hope and still strive to return our world to the beautiful state it was once in.”
“The Light of the Moon” – Zoe Brotzler
“Hope for All” – Adam Najera
Second place was awarded to Zoe Brotzler for “The Light of the Moon” and third place to Adam Najera for “Hope for All.”
Molly Galbreath’s film “I Have Hope” won first place in Film Production. Her film looks at the struggles a teenager might face, with a ballet theme centered on the struggle to learn to have belief on oneself and the optimism she has that that can be nurtured within herself. “In today’s world,” she writes in her artist statement, “hope is an extremely hard thing to have with so many things keeping you down.”
Second place in Film Production was awarded to Dylan Witter.
The theme for the 2024-2025 Reflections contest is “Accepting Imperfection.”
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