Thoughts on Leadership
NAEA thrives because of the exemplary art teachers who belong to it. In compiling the information for this post, it didn’t take me long to realize some of the commonalities these award winners share. They tend to be longtime NAEA members and active at both state and national levels. They attend and present at state, regional, and national conferences. They are likely to be practicing artists and comfortable with social media. They are interested in seeing their students’ work shown outside the school building, whether locally or online. They all maintain a presence on social media and they all think they have the most wonderful job in the world. We encourage you to consider contributing your own strengths to NAEA in similar ways.
2014 National Elementary Art Educator of the Year
Our NAEA National Elementary Art
Educator of the Year is Melissa Hronkin,
an art teacher at Houghton Elementary who lives in Greenland Township, Michigan.
Melissa was also the elementary art educator of the year for the Michigan Art
Education Association.
Though Melissa lives just about
as far away from the heart of Michigan as anyone can, she has been an active
member of MAEA, attending conferences and meetings, often a 12-hour drive away.
She has represented MAEA and presented at NAEA conferences and NAEA
Western Region Summer Leadership Institutes.
Melissa also serves as an adjunct at
Finlandia University, teaches summer arts camps for youth and community art
classes, and spearheads summer professional development retreats. Melissa's passion for
beekeeping has influenced her recent encaustic and installation
artworks. Her passions have led her to present her
own TED Talk at Marquette TEDx Talks, "Lessons from the Hive". You can also visit her gallery and her blog.
“I consider Melissa the
female version of the Renaissance Man. She is multifaceted: artist, teacher,
educator, community member, and farmer/beekeeper, all with quiet words and deep
thoughts.” Suzanne Butler Lich
Eastern
Region Elementary Art Educator
The Eastern Region Elementary Art Educator
award is presented to Rebecca Carleton, who
teaches at Randolph Elementary School in Randolph, Vermont. Rebecca has
held leadership positions for 30+ years in the Vermont Art Teachers Association
(VATA), joining the board in 1995, and serving in multiple positions such as
YAM chair, webmaster, and president from 2004-2011.
Rebecca, known as Rebbie, has represented
VATA at the delegate’s assembly at NAEA and has a record of organizing student
tours and planning professional development. You can find Rebbie’s students’
work here and her teacher blog here.
“Rebbie
is a great believer that the arts provide students with unique and powerful
methods of communication, are a vehicle for understanding cultural diversity,
and enhance creative problem solving. She works hard to ensure that students of
all abilities are meaningfully involved in projects and gallery experiences.
The lives of many young people and adults in the region have been enriched
through her work.” Janet Cathey
Drew
Brown is the Southeastern
Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year. She teaches at Sweet Apple
Elementary School in Roswell, Georgia. She is the GAEA Elementary Art Educator
of the Year 2013, a past president of GAEA and the 2008 GAEA Museum Educator.
Drew has also received the 2001 GAEA Distinquished Service Award and the 2006
NAEA Presidential Citation Award.
Drew is well known for the floats she and
her students build every year for the annual Roswell Youth Day Parade. Her
students have also been exhibited at The Capitol Art Exhibit in Atlanta and in
the state’s Youth Art Month Flag design contest. Drew has worked as a museum
educator, helped to review and write state visual arts standards, served as an
adjunct at universities, and is working on her doctorate. You can view Drew’s
students’ artwork here.
“Drew
Brown is a teacher of the year each and every day. She showcases what it is to
care and love each of her students, believing in them as learners and creative
artists. She is not only my art teacher hero, she is her students’ hero and her
colleagues at the state and national level.” Debi West
Western Region Elementary Art Educator
Melanie Robinson is the recipient of the Western Region Elementary Award. Melanie
has been an art teacher at Cedar Springs Elementary in House Springs, Missouri for
13 years. She has been a member of NAEA since 1993 and has attended 4 national
conferences and presented at almost every state conference for the last 20
years.
She has
received the MAEA President’s appreciation award in 2002 and the Missouri
Outstanding Art Educator Award Art Educator of the Year in 2003. In 2004, she
was named Missouri’s Outstanding Educator at the Western Region Awards.
Melanie has written
curriculum and planned professional development for her district, has been published
in SchoolArts Magazine, and is a practicing artist. You’ll find Melanie’s students’ artwork on Artsonia. “Melanie
Robinson is a teacher who is passionate about her students. She is a superb
educator and supporter of art education for all children at all levels.”
Paul Ziegler
Pacific
Region Elementary Art Educator
Our Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator
for 2014 is Michael Simmons of Portland, Oregon. Michael
teaches at the Buckman Arts Focus School in Portland where his school program
includes visual arts, music, dance, and drama for all 500 students. Michael and
his students create theater set designs and construct props for multiple school
productions. He also serves as a resource for classroom teachers who do not
have art programs in their schools.
Michael has been named Oregon Art Teacher
of the Year for 2012, has attended national conferences since 1999, was the
Pacific Region Elementary Director in 2005, has been a presenter at state and
national conferences, and serves as an adjunct professor at Portland State
University. Michael is a raku artist, teaching summer art programs. He is
currently on the writing team for Oregon concerning NCCAS’s new national art
standards. Check out Michael’s blog.
“In
his selection you will find a rare human being who embodies the integration of
life and art that all of us need in our lives to be fully human.” Chisao
Hata
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