Caryl Church, alumna of the Art Education program at Kent State University School of Art, has received an Outstanding Art Teacher Award from the North East Region Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA). Church earned both her B.A. and M.A. in Art Education from the School of Art and has been teaching art for twelve years. She has spent the last four years teaching at Perry Elementary School in Perry, Ohio.
Church will receive her award at the OAEA annual awards dinner in Sandusky, Ohio in October. She was nominated by her former professor, Dr. Linda Hoeptner Poling, current Associate Professor in Art Education at the School of Art.
“Caryl has the amazing ability of giving students the venue to tell their stories in very meaningful ways, creating a classroom space in which critical thinking is the norm, not the exception,” Poling said.
“I am humbled by the recognition because I know so many amazing art educators across the state,” Church said. “This award means a lot to me because the recognition comes from my peers, people who devote their lives to art education. To be awarded by professional art educators for the work I love and know is so important to my students, and it feels amazing.”
Image: (Photo by Joe Pohl) Caryl Church, center, with some of her students.
This story has excerpts from an article originally published in The News-Herald on April 24, 2018.