This blog is under construction. Still to come are certificate templates. The "Printables" page is not quite ready, but most of that information can be accessed from links found down the right side of the blog. Everything else is up to date. Feel free to send us an email if you have questions.
- Reba, Chantelle & Liz

Sunday, October 4, 2009

2009 - 2010 The Power Of One

Welcome to the 2009-2010 Inspirations Art Program. We are very excited by this years theme and know the students will create work that will astound us all. Here are a few notes to bear in mind as you conduct this program at your school.

The school level competition needs to be completed by Friday, 22 January 2010. The first and second place winners in each category and at each age level need to be sent to the school hosting your regional levels. The regional awards presentations will be held on Friday, 19 February 2010. The first and second place winners in each category and at each age level need to be sent to the school hosting the state levels. The state awards presentation will be held on Friday, 26 March.

In order to make judging as impartial as possible please attach all entry forms to the bottom/back of the project. Names should not be visible until after the judging process is complete.

There is a $100.00 participation fee per school. This fee is used to purchase medals and trophies at the regional and state levels. The fee is due by 1 October. Please send your fee to CS Lewis Academy, 364 N SR 198, Santaquin, UT 84655. Be sure to note with the payment that this is for the Inspirations Art Program. Let me know if you need a payment extension.

Please familiarize yourselves with the rules so you can pass on correct information to your students. If you have any questions, please first consult the Frequently Asked Questions section of the blog. If you still have questions you can either contact your school's Inspiration representative or leave a comment by clicking on the word "comment" under the post and leave it there. Please include contact information and we will get back with you as soon as possible.

We are looking for school who would like to host either the regional levels or the state level of the competition. Please let me know if you are interesting in being a hosting school.

Once again, Inspirations is a great program. With a little time and effort you will see your students shine.

Thanks for all you do,
Reba Vest
Inspirations Art Program Director

Frequently Asked Questions

Who participates in Inspirations? Inspirations is a program for Charter Schools. Currently, it only takes place in Utah, but we hope to eventually expand and be a nationwide program.

What is the entry fee? When is it due and who pays it? The entry fee for 2009-2010 is $100. It is due on Oct 1st, 2009. Each Charter school who is participating in the program pays the entry fee. No students or parents need to worry about the entry fee.

What are the categories? Statewide, we have 8 categories: Literary Composition, Musical Composition, Visual Art, 3D Art, Photography, Theatre, Choreography / Dance, and Film / Video. However, your school may choose to participate in all 8 categories or just a select few. Please check with your school's Inspirations representative to find out which categories your school is participating in.

How many entries can a student submit? Each student may submit one entry for each category their school offers.

What are the age divisions? We have 4 age divisions:
- Kindergarten - 2nd grade
- 3rd grade - 5th grade
- 6th grade - 8th grade
- 9th grade - 12th grade

Will everyone win an award? This will depend on your individual school. Some schools will choose to give everyone a participation award or certificate. However, only 2 entries per category and age group will advance to compete at the Regional level. At the Regional level, again 2 entries per category and age group will win medals and advance to compete at the State level. At the State level, trophies will be given to 2 entries per category and age level. While this is technically a "competition," the point of the program is to encourage our students to be creative and express their individuality. We hope that the awards assemblies will reflect that purpose.

How do you find your judges? Judges for the program come from the community. Each school will be responsible for finding the judges for their school level competition. The judges should be impartial and not connected to the school. The judging will be blind-judging. The schools hosting the Regional and State level assemblies will be in charge of finding judges for those levels of competition. They should be different judges than the ones used at the school level. Your judges should have knowledge, expertise or experience in the category they will be judging. They can be found anywhere in the community: Librarians, Authors, teachers at another school, local artists, newspaper or TV media, professional photographers, interior decorators, dance instructors or professional dancers etc...

Are there any entry examples from previous years we can view? Coming soon.

Will you have a CD player or a TV so that I can show my child's work? That will be up to the school's running the awards assemblies. We do encourage them to have those things available so that all the students entries may be viewed and enjoyed by all.

What if we miss the deadline? Will you extend it? The Region and State deadlines will not be changed. If you've missed the entry fee deadline and wish to participate the current year, please contact us immediately. Depending on the time frame, we may be able to include you. If not, we will be sure to get you information for next years program. As for the school level entries deadline, that will be up to your individual school if they will accept your entry or extend the entry due date. Please contact your school's Inspirations representative for information about that.