Hillcrest Middle School Sweeps PTA Reflections Awards with State-Level Wins

Hillcrest Middle School is celebrating a historic achievement this week as the school announced its winners for the 2025-2026 PTA Reflections program. The “Wildcats” managed a rare clean sweep, producing winners in every single artistic category, including three students who earned top honors at the South Carolina state level.

The Reflections program, a long-standing national arts recognition initiative, encourages students to explore their talents in dance, film, literature, music, photography, and visual arts. This year’s performance by Hillcrest students marks one of the school’s most successful showings in recent history.

Celebrating State-Level Excellence

While the school saw a deep bench of talent across the board, three students distinguished themselves by advancing to and winning at the state competition:

• Rylee Grieder: Earned the Award of Merit (STATE) for her work in Film Production, following her local Award of Excellence.

• Finora Pravin: Secured the Award of Excellence (STATE) for Musical Composition, a category in which she also swept the local awards.

• Audrey Boehm: Captured the Award of Merit (STATE) for her entries in Visual Arts, alongside her local recognition in Dance Choreography.

A Community of Young Artists

The success of the program highlights the diverse creative talent within the Simpsonville community. School officials noted that recognition for all local winners will be presented during grade-level awards ceremonies scheduled for this coming May.

The full list of local Award of Excellence winners includes:

• Dance Choreography: Audrey Boehm

• Film Production: Rylee Grieder

• Literature: Katherine Aya

• Musical Composition: Finora Pravin

• Photography: Antonina Stansbury

• Visual Arts: Audrey Boehm

Additionally, several students earned Awards of Merit at the school level, including Abbigale Grooms (recognized in four different categories), Finora Pravin, Cecily Padilla, Katherine Aya, and Hendrina Mahadeen.

A Proud Moment for Hillcrest

The Hillcrest Middle School PTA expressed immense pride in the students’ dedication, noting that having winners in every category—Dance, Film, Literature, Music, Photography, and Visual Arts—is a testament to the school’s commitment to a well-rounded education that values both academics and the arts.

As these young artists prepare to be recognized in front of their peers next month, the Golden Strip community joins in celebrating their hard work and creative vision.