Reflections

I’ve mentioned before that I’m in charge of the PTA Reflections contest at the elementary school. The entries were due on Friday, and I’ve gotten a few stragglers in today, but I’ve pretty much got all the entries. Today I counted, listed, and categorized them, and looked over the film/video, dance and music, since there are so few entries that I can pretty much judge them myself. There is only one dance entry. A 6th grade girl who did a cute dance to the song “popular” from Wicked. The theme is “My favorite place.” Although it’s a good dance, she’s a good dancer, and it’s fun to watch, I’m not getting how the Popular song has ANYTHING to do with “my favorite place.” Since she’s the only entry, I guess I have to give her an award (something like 1st place in dance–there is no second place, third place or anything else), but I feel like not. I feel like not giving her any award at all (besides the candy bar and certificate for entering) because her thing doesn’t go with the theme AT ALL. But that would be rude, I guess.

What say you? Should I be a hard nose and only award those that I think deserve to win, or should I just give her (and others that are not very heavily entered) an award?

I’ve only got about 60 entries, which seems so low to me. In another school we had over 100 entries just in visual arts, and here I’ve got 60 total. I guess I could have done more in the publicity department, but I put up posters, put messages in the newsletter and did a skit at the kick off assembly. I guess I could have done more, like make announcements in the morning announcements, sent more notes home, etc. But honestly, I think that the kids who are going to enter are going to enter, and the kids who have no interest won’t. It’s the same families that enter every year, those families that encourage it. Is it like that at your school?

Oh, and I’ve had these things here in my office since Friday, right? John has already broken one of the 3-d art things. Yep. I’m the responsible one alright.