Cox Elementary PTA Cox Elementary PTA Every child. One voice.

Reflections

Reflections theme: What My Culture Means to Me
National PTA Reflections 2026-2027

Reflections at Cox Elementary

Every year students across the country make original art in answer to one theme. This year it is "What My Culture Means to Me". Dance, film, writing, music, photography, and visual art all count, and every entry earns recognition from Cox PTA. The best advance to the LISD Council, Texas PTA, and National PTA.

How It Works Entries are due October 30Submit Entry

Six Ways to Answer the Theme

Pick a category, make something original that speaks to the theme, and tell us about it in a short artist statement. Each card opens the LISD Council rules for that category.

Dance ChoreographyVideo up to 5 minutes. Any dance style, solo or ensemble; the student is the choreographer. RulesFilm ProductionVideo up to 5 minutes. Animation, narrative, documentary, experimental or multimedia; the student writes, shoots and edits. RulesLiteratureUp to 2,000 words. Prose, poetry, drama, essay or story; another language is fine with an English translation. RulesMusic CompositionAudio up to 5 minutes, MP3 or WAV. Any style; the student is the composer. Middle and high school add a score, tab, or a short technical note. RulesPhotographyOne photo, JPG or PNG, at least 640 by 960 pixels. No collages or added graphics; editing is fine. RulesVisual ArtsTwo-dimensional work up to 24 by 30 inches with the mat: drawing, painting, print, collage, fiber, metal or computer art. Send a clear photo. RulesAccessible Arts DivisionFor students with a disability, any category, any grade. Help and collaboration are allowed here. Rules

Divisions at Cox Elementary

  • Primary DivisionPre-K to Grade 2
  • Intermediate DivisionGrades 3 to 5
  • Accessible Arts DivisionAny grade, for students with disabilities

Judging is within each division and category, so a kindergartner is never up against a fifth grader.

PTA Membership Requirement

The student, or someone in their household, must be a Cox PTA member by October 31 for the entry to advance.

Join Cox PTA

This Year's Dates

  1. September 23Call for entries goes out
  2. October 30Entries due at Cox Elementary
  3. November 18Advancing entries to LISD Council, digital
  4. January 15Council results
  5. March 15Texas PTA results

The Rules in Brief

  • Original and yours Each entry is one student's own work, made for this year's theme. No help from adults or classmates, except in the Accessible Arts Division. Others may perform in your dance or film, but the work is yours.
  • No copying, no AI Plagiarism disqualifies an entry. Generative or algorithmic tools and PowerPoint templates are not allowed. Software may help you make or present the work, but the idea and design must be yours; say what tools you used on the entry form.
  • Music in dance and film Recorded music is the one copyrighted thing allowed, and only in dance and film entries. Name the song and artist on the entry form.
  • Enter more than once Students may enter more than one category, and more than one piece in a category. Each piece gets its own entry.
  • The full rules Texas PTA's one-page rules and the LISD Council's rules per category are linked from every card above and in the documents below.

What Judges Look For

  • Interpretation of the theme How clearly the work answers the theme, in the student's own way. Half of the score on the LISD Council scorecard.
  • Creativity An original idea, imagination, and a point of view.
  • Technique Skill with the medium, for the student's grade.

Judges have arts experience and are not parents of entrants or teachers at the school.

Awards and Advancing

  • Award of Excellence The top entries in each category and division advance to the LISD Council: about one in five, and at least one from every group that has an entry.
  • Award of Merit Outstanding work recognized at school.
  • Honorable Mention and Participation Every student who enters is recognized.

Council judging is digital, so a clear photo or scan of the work is what advances. One entry per category and division advances from Council to Texas PTA.

Cox Elementary Winners

  • 2023-2024Emma Jean GirvanCategoryPhotographyWorkGifts of the Spirit Give me Hope Award of Excellence, Texas PTA
  • 2022-2023William TuckerCategoryFilm ProductionWorkMental Health Participation, Texas PTA
  • 2024-2025Ethan GirvanCategoryLiteratureWorkAccepting Thousands of Imperfections Award of Merit, LISD Council

See All 10 Winners

The Official Documents

Texas PTA Reflections PacketThe full rules for every categoryStudent Entry FormTexas PTA's form, the same fields as oursParticipation RulesWho may enter and howRules on One PageTexas PTA's category rules, all six on a pageLISD Council ReflectionsCouncil dates, rules in Spanish, past resultsNational PTA ReflectionsThe program since 1969Texas PTA GalleryAward-winning entries from across TexasThis Year's FlyerPrint it for the classroom folder

Questions? Paul Furiani, Reflections chair: reflections@cox-pta.org