BCPS sweeps Maryland Art Teacher of the Year Awards
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FOR RELEASE: October 19, 2011 Contacts: Diana L. Spencer, 410-887-4243
Phyllis T. Reese, 410-887-5908
Baltimore County Public Schools sweeps Maryland Art Teacher of the Year awards
TOWSON, MD. – The Maryland Art Education Association named four Baltimore County Public Schools teachers as Maryland Art Teachers of the Year for 2011. The awards will be presented at 9:00 a.m. at the MAEA Conference, to be held on October 21 in the Maryland Hall Theatre in Annapolis.
Laura Patacca-Kerr of Oakleigh Elementary School will be honored as the MAEA Elementary School Art Teacher State Award winner. Cecilia Terlizzi of Sudbrook Magnet Middle School and Ryan Twentey of Parkville High School will receive the middle and high school-level state honors. The MAEA Retired Art Teacher State Award will go to Michael Bare, who last taught at Hereford High School.
In addition to the statewide awards, district-level awards will also be presented at the conference. The BCPS Visual Arts Office will recognize “new” teachers who are within their first two years of teaching in the district, “career” teachers who have taught in the school system for 10 years or more, and one retired educator. The new teachers honored will be April Mahon of Baltimore Highlands Elementary School, Amanda Foti of Loch Raven Technical Academy, and Alyssa Stokes of Loch Raven High School. The career teachers to be recognized are Alison Paul of Norwood Elementary School, Joel Baldwin of Perry Hall Middle School, and Nancy Fishel of Overlea High School. Bare, the state winner for retired art educators, will also be honored as the BCPS retired teacher of the year.
“Our BCPS visual arts teachers integrate studio practice and creative expression with art history and critical response to promote greater learning,” said Linda Popp, BCPS visual arts coordinator. “They implement a rich, rigorous visual arts curriculum and facilitate a culture of artistic thinking, learning, creative production, and achievement of excellence. Our teachers are able to bring their deep understanding of the artistic process to their students based on their own personal art experiences.”
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Under the leadership of Superintendent Joe A. Hairston, Ed.D., Baltimore County Public Schools, the nation’s 26th largest school district, educates 105,000 students each year. Following its Blueprint for Progress, BCPS increases academic rigor and student achievement for all. BCPS attracts recognition for its emphasis on college-readiness, use of innovative technology, and the excellence of its high schools and fine arts instruction.