The document discusses proposed revisions to the rules and procedures for creative festivals. It aims to simplify the paperwork, make the program more engaging for children, and address concerns about the current system. The revisions include standardizing eligibility requirements, reworking the judging rubrics, reformatting forms, and increasing the types and number of awards to recognize more students and encourage participation. The document provides the proposed new rubrics and forms for judging art, photography, writing and poetry and asks festival coordinators to pilot test the revisions in 2012 before fully implementing changes.

1. For 2012 Creative Festivals Revisions

2. Introduction From January 2011 meetings: Our goals were to simplify the paperwork and regulations for the adults and to make a more engaging program for the children. We chose to address only the four traditional festival categories at this point. We have a standardized set of eligibility requirements, and a revised rubric for judging. We will be reformatting the Standard Identification Form. We only briefly discussed the awards ceremony, choosing to await response to our initial revisions. Some of the concerns that we responded to are listed below. We would like to implement our revisions in 2012. This year we would like the Creative Festival Coordinators to pretend to use the new forms, including acting as judges and using the new rubrics. We will then evaluate whether our revisions are workable for the following year.

3. Concern #1 “The Festivals appear overwhelming with all the rules, papers to be filled out, etc.” Response a: Standardize and simplify rules. Response b: Forms will be able to filled out online and printed.

4. Concerns #2 & #3 “Judging takes too long as the rubrics are too complicated,” OR, “The students are judged against each other, which produces resentment.” Response a: Provide a simple, reliable rubric, modeled after those of public schools.

5. Concerns #4 & #5 “Entries that don’t express the theme win.” OR “Entries are disqualified in a preliminary round because they don’t express the theme.” Response a: The Standard Identification Sheet will require the student to explain how their entry is related to the theme in case it appears to be irrelevant. Response b: The Standard Identification Sheet will be reformatted so that the title of the artwork will be available to the judges as they evaluate the piece. (The bottom section will fold and be placed below the piece of artwork . . or . . .? I am still creatively working with my piece of paper. Somehow the title will be visible and it will be fairly easy to do. Suggestions welcome.) Response c: The rubric will have a “theme” category weighted just as the others. A judge can give points as to how well the piece expressed the theme.

6. Concern #6 “The children don’t want to participate because they don’t win.” Response a: Provide a DVD with their art and writing for the Fellowship websites. Response b: Increase the amount of winners by reworking the schema of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and ribbons of participation. One idea is to have those who score 95% and above receive a Gold Ribbon, and those who score 80-95% receive a Silver Ribbon, and those who score 80% and below receive a Red Ribbon. Other Idea c: More awarding groups could be made for most colorful, interesting media, etc. Other Idea d: Group projects, for example the third grade would work on a class project.

7. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS To be eligible for judging . . . 1. Entrants must be members, or children of catechumens, in a parish or mission in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. 2. Entries must be an expression of the theme. 3. Students can submit only one entry in each category (art, photography, writing, poetry, etc.) 4. Entries must be the student’s own work. 5. Entries must be created between April 1st of the previous year and April 1st of the present year. 6. Entrants must be in grades one through 12. For Preschool and Kindergarten children, a special lesson plan with resources as well as a downloadable participation certificate will be available on the website. 7. No signature, initials, or identifying marks may appear on the piece of art, writing, poetry, or photography. 8. The Standard Identification Form must be glued, stapled, or taped to the back of each entry, and the Record of Participants Form must accompany each mailing. 9. Mailings must be postmarked by April 1.

8. SPECIFIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND NOTES

9. ART RUBRIC Two rubrics will fit on each 8 ½ X 11 sheet, thus saving paper. Under each heading, place a check mark in the box that best reflects the score in that category. Add the points awarded in each category and write the total number in the appropriate box.

10. PHOTOGRAPHY RUBRIC Under each heading, place a check mark in the box that best reflects the score in that category. Add the points awarded in each category and write the total number in the appropriate box.

11. WRITING RUBRIC Under each heading, circle the score description that best represents the piece. Add the points awarded in each category and write the total number in the appropriate box.

12. POETRY RUBRIC Under each heading, circle the score description that best represents the piece. Add the points awarded in each category and write the total number in the appropriate box.