Creativity came to life on Tuesday, May 19th, as Forest Brook Elementary hosted an interactive gallery celebrating this year’s National PTA Reflections Art Contest. Student masterpieces spanned visual arts, photography, literature, and film, all capturing the inspiring theme, “I Belong.” It was inspiring to see the entire school community embrace the importance of student expression through these creative mediums! The energy was electric as families explored the gallery and celebrated the arts together.

This spectacular evening was a hands-on art adventure that kept attendees buzzing. Audiences lined up at the Mini Movie Theater to watch first-grader Gwen Sclafani's phenomenal film. Her original song and movie placed at the New York State level and advanced to the National contest! At other stations, future sculptors molded masterpieces at the Clay Creations Corner, while young authors rolled story cubes to invent poems at the Imagination Inkwell. Aspiring photographers played with lighting at the Snap and Smile Studio, and families colored vibrant feathers on the interactive "I Belong to Hauppauge Eagles" mural, posing as eagles themselves.

The Forest Brook community is bursting with pride over our students' hard work and limitless creativity. This magical evening proved that every student has a unique voice. We would love for all students to be part of the magic next year, so start brainstorming those ideas now for the 2026-27 theme What My Culture Means to Me—we cannot wait to see your star shine in the next Reflections contest!