Cherokee Students Win Big In PTA Reflections Contest

Staff Report

Cherokee County School District students excelled in the 2013-14 PTA Reflections competition.  

The annual contest gives students in all grades and abilities the opportunity to create original works of art in the categories of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts for the opportunity to earn recognition at the school, county, state and national levels. The theme for 2013-14 was “Believe, Dream, Inspire.”  

After qualifying at the county level to move on to State competition, 19 district students placed (first, second or third) at the Georgia PTA State competition, with three of the eight first-place winners selected for entry into the Senior Division of the National competition; additionally, seven district students received Honorable Mention at the State competition. 

The state winners from Cherokee will be recognized at the Cherokee County School Board meeting on July 23. 

Joining the Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo and the board in recognizing these outstanding students will be Dawn Stastny, 2014-15 president of the Cherokee County Council of PTA, which organizes the county-level competition.

The 2014 Cherokee County School District Georgia PTA Reflections winners are: 

First place and senior division entry into nationals

• Madeline Gilmer, Etowah HS, 10th Grade Film Production
• Joseph McCann, River Ridge HS, 12th Grade Musical Composition
• Olivia Pettway, Cherokee HS, 11th Grade Photography

First place

• Madison Aucoin, Sequoyah HS, 9th Grade Dance Choreography
• Cindy Chen, River Ridge HS, 11th Grade Literature
• Elizabeth Hale, Etowah HS, 10th Grade Dance Choreography
• Savannah Hunter, Sequoyah HS, Georgia Special Artists Visual Arts
• Grace Kicak, Macedonia ES, 3rd Grade Literature

Second place

• Mia Conklin, River Ridge HS, 11th Grade Dance Choreography
• Elizabeth Latimer, Dean Rusk MS, 8th Grade Photography
• Cheryl Springer, Arnold Mill ES, 3rd Grade Musical Composition
• Kavya Suryadevara, Mountain Road ES, 6th Grade Visual Arts
• Caroline Trahant, River Ridge HS, 9th Grade Photography
• Michael Vogel, Sequoyah HS, 10th Grade Photography 

Third place

• Olivia Butcher, Sixes ES, 1st Grade Dance Choreography
• Jaclyn Gehrsitz, Sequoyah HS, 11th Grade Literature
• Taylor Rhines, Indian Knoll ES, 4th Grade Photography
• Heather Rodgers, Etowah HS, 10th Grade Literature
• Sophie Weissel, Carmel ES, 4th Grade Dance Choreography