What’s your story? That could be a tough question for some of us, but 12-year-old Emily Stephens answers it with ease.
Emily attends North Gwinnett Middle School and entered a photograph into this year’s National PTA Reflections Program. This is an arts program designed to give students an outlet for creative expression. It is an opportunity to explore the cultural arts while challenging their imagination. Students interpret each year’s theme in the categories of dance choreography, film, visual arts, photography, literature and musical composition. This year the theme was “What is your story?”
Emily decided the family piano would be the perfect subject to photograph because it has been in her family for so long. Generations of her relatives learned to play on that piano, and to Emily, it tells a beautiful story of family, music and worship. Her great-great-grandfather was a music minister and the hymnals pictured actually belonged to him. Emily’s photo is a remarkable tribute to the love of family and tradition, a cherished memento of their history.
Emily won 1st Place in photography for 7th grade at the countywide competition. Her photo now goes on to the state competition. Go Emily!!
This is my great grandmother’s piano with my great-great-grandfather’s music books on it. My grandmother played on it as a girl, then my mother, and now me. The beautiful piano now sits elegantly in my grandmother’s house. Every time my family plays on it, it feels like a member of the family.
