U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and National PTA President-Elect Otha Thornton will give keynote remarks at the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of an art exhibit by students from the National PTA’s Reflections Program at noon ET, Friday, Jan. 13, in the Department’s Auditorium at 400 Maryland Ave., S.W. They will be joined by National Endowment for the Arts representatives Deba Leach and Sunil Iyengar.
The ceremony will also feature several student performances: dancers from the CityDance Conservatory; an eight-piece string orchestra from Cabin John Middle School in Potomac, Md., under the direction of the 2009 Maryland Music Educator of the Year Scott Herman; and a trio of leads from Young Artists of America’s production of Phantom of the Opera, accompanied by instrumentalists from Winston Churchill High in Potomac, Md.
Since its inception more than 40 years ago, the National PTA’s Reflections Program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to explore their artistic talents. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to submit works of art in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts.
The exhibit will be displayed at the Department until March 7, and will feature 26 works by students from 16 states in preschool through grade 12.