Students receive Reflections awards

Students from Westport public schools recently received awards at the state and local levels of the national 2012-13 PTA Reflections Contest.

The 2012-13 competition, "Believe, Dream, Inspire," is a nationwide program that recognizes pupils' artistic efforts in dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Awards were given at the high school, middle school and elementary level.

Students awarded at the state level in the high school division include Staples High students Julian Brooks, a junior who took first place in film, and Ari Teicher, a sophomore who earned first place in music composition. Brooks and Teicher advanced to the state level after placing first in the local level. They will compete on the national level for taking firsts in the state level.

Other state-level award recipients in this division include sophomore Sophia Green, second, visual arts; junior Emma Muro, second, literature; and senior Zach Teicher, fourth place, photography.

Other awardees at the local level include Staples students Remy Bonett, a junior, second, film production; and sophomore Everett Sussman, second, music composition. Other high school winners at this level are seniors Allegra Chaple, second, photography; and senior Jacob Shore, second, visual arts.

Local-level winners at the middle-school level for Bedford Middle School include eighth-graders Tia Pogue, film production and literature; Terry Lust, music composition; and Alexandra McMahon, visual arts; and sixth-grader Priya Banerjee, photography.

Local-level winners at the middle-school tier for Coleytown Middle School include seventh-graders Avery Shuldman, film production, and Nicole Arellano, photography; and eighth-grader Claire Dinshaw, literature.