-Dr. Ayesa Kaur, LWPTSA
Every year, the National PTA Reflections program invites students of all ages and backgrounds to explore their inner thoughts, vulnerability, and boundless creativity through the arts. This year, the LWSD community dove deep into the beautifully resonant theme, “I Belong.” From our youngest kindergartners to our graduating high school seniors, students across the district poured their hearts into stunning visual arts masterpieces, literature, photography, music, film making and dance choreography reminding us all of the diverse perspectives that make our community whole.
As co-chairs of the LWPTSA Council Reflections program, Emily Sparks and Dr. Ayesa Kaur, had the immense privilege of guiding this year’s journey. While many of these remarkable entries are strictly judged and selected to advance through regional and state pathways toward the national stage, there is an equally magical tradition that happens right here at home within our own school district leadership.
Snapshots of a Student’s Mind
Each spring, for the past three years, the LWSD Superintendent’s Office at the Redmond Resource Center selects a special handful of student submissions to play a permanent role in the district’s daily environment. With the enthusiastic permission of the young artists and their parents, these original works are professionally photographed, printed, and proudly framed on the walls, hallways, and private offices of the Resource Center. These pieces showcase the vibrant artwork—ranging from bold, expressive animal portraits and deeply personal human sketches to imaginative, symbolic representations of community and identity—that now fills the Redmond Resource Center with life, color, and inspiration.
These specific pieces are not chosen based on the strict competitive scoring rubrics; rather, they are selected because they bring pure, unadulterated joy to everyone who passes by. They tell vivid stories, echo individual journeys of belonging, and freeze-frame a precise, brilliant moment of a student’s creative mind. Walking through the administrative building transforms into an immersive gallery walk, providing a constant grounding reminder to district staff of exactly who they serve every day.
To celebrate these student contributions, our LWSD Superintendent, Dr. Jon Holmen, warmly welcomed the opportunity to highlight these inspiring additions at the Redmond Resource Center. We share with you, his joy, in these photographs.
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Artists
On behalf of the Lake Washington PTSA Council, we want to extend our deepest, most sincere gratitude to all the incredible young minds who participated in the Reflections program this year. Thank you for being brave enough to share your creativity, your vulnerabilities, and your definitions of what it means to belong. By allowing your art to live on the walls of the Redmond Resource Center, you are sharing that immense joy and inspiration with educators, administrators, and visitors every single day. You truly belong, and you make Lake Washington a more beautiful place to learn and grow.
