Congratulations to Natalie Seabourn, who was chosen to represent Rockwall ISD in the national PTA Reflections program! According to the National PTA website, the National PTA facilitates the Reflections program every year, "which provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts. Over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. The 2021–2022 Reflections theme is I Will Change the World By…"
In Rockwall ISD this year, there were over 300 entries that underwent a rigorous jurying process. The school district can choose only one entry to compete nationally, and Utley's Natalie Seaborn's art piece won for the district!
When asked why she entered the contest, Natalie answered, "Art is in my blood. My grandma and my mom both did a lot of art. And ever since I was little, my grandma would watch me and always do a lot of art activities with me. It's just something I enjoy doing, and it comes naturally to me. I joined the competition cause I love art. It wasn't about winning; it was just about having fun and doing art."
Natalie also explained that the theme this year spoke to her personally, "The theme was 'I can change the world by...', and I chose by connecting with others. The first thing I thought of was hand-holding because you connect to others through touch. There are three images of hands, and each shows a different connection. The top hands are a friendship type of shake. The middle ones are more of a consoling kind of touch. The bottom one is a romantic, like I love you kind of touch. Covid has impacted us a lot, and it feels like maybe we've severed a lot of connections. Now we're trying to move on and get stronger. As long as we have each other and can connect to one another, we know that we're not just going through this alone. We're helping each other and will be there for each other. "
