Two CCSD Students Honored at State PTA Reflections Competition
The 2025-26 PTA Reflections theme is, "I Belong." Students all over the country submit their poems, dances, artwork, and more in the hopes of earning awards and scholarship money. This year, two CCSD students received special recognition at the state level!
Cedar Ridge Falcon Will Diepeveen's "I Belong in the Solar System" won Honorable Mention in the Pre-K-2 division.
About his work, he said, "First, the helmet. I actually had it as a different thing I used it to hold stuff in. Then I made it as a helmet. Then I had fun making everything, including the stars, and painting my spacesuit, and oxygen tank, and helmet. And I like how all the planets look and all the stars. This is why "I belong," it's because I live on earth, and the earth is in our solar system. I hope I win for a long time. I hope you like it."
"Will is so excited about his award," his mother shared. "He loves to create, and it was a fun project for him!"
Green Canyon High School student Julianna Carrillo won the Award of Merit in the High School division for her thoughtful poem, "Wonders of Who." Her tender piece explores second-generation immigrant identity.
Here is the full transcript of her poem:
Wonders of Who
Her mouth speaks English,
As her mind whispers Spanish.
She's confused on which to call home-
The land she steps on,
Or the one she awaits to visit.
At school she's told
"speak English you're in America",
While at family events she's told
"Speak Spanish, we want to understand you".
Her cousins say she's too Americanize
While at school her name is mispronounced.
She takes it all in with a smile,
Swallowing both worlds whole.
She feels she stands between two suns;
One which rises over terracotta roof tiles,
The other shining through city glass-
Wondering which one
Belongs to her.
Until one day,
Under a sun
which belongs to no one,
She stopped choosing sides.
The beat of her own heartbeat,
Colliding with the rhythm
Of both worlds,
Running through her veins.
She realizes she's the bridge
between both worlds,
Made of more than
Languages or flags,
She carries two histories at once.
Not half belonging here
Or there, but knowing
"I belong"
Everywhere.
~Julianna Carrillo
"Julianna deserves all of the recognition. She's earned it!" her mother shared proudly.
We agree. Congratulations to these students!