Congratulations are in order for Smithtown High School West’s Tiffany Holtje. The talented young woman was selected as 2014-2015 New York State PTA Reflections winner in the visual arts category, for her drawing of her former sixth grade English teacher, Mr. Miller. The theme of this year’s reflections program; “The World Would be a Better Place If…” inspired Ms. Holtje to depict a magnificent likeness of her teacher, who lost his battle with Lymphoma, a little more than a year ago. Arty Miller’s legacy will live on thanks to the young talented minds like Tiffany, who continue to keep his memory very much alive.
“Mr. Miller was my sixth grade social studies and English teacher who passed away last year on Sept. 23rd… I was deeply affected by his sudden passing, and it caused me to reflect on all that he had taught me and how it had transformed me into the person that I am today. He was a truly incredible and influential man, and touched every one of his students.” – Tiffany Holtje
The New York State PTA Reflections Art Roadshow has also selected Tiffany’s artwork, “The World Would Be a Better Place if Mr. Miller Was Still in It,” to be a part of the multimedia exhibit. The piece began it’s exhibit debut at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. The next showing will be at the New York State PTA annual convention in Niagara Falls, which runs from November 13th through the 15th, 2015.
About the Reflection Program:
The PTA Reflections program encourages students in pre-K through grade 12 to explore their artistic talent by submitting works of art in six areas: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and the visual arts.