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I have been in Adams 12 Five Star School District literally all my life, first as a student, and then as an art teacher since 1992! Art was not offered at the elementary level way back when, but my classroom teachers recognized my hunger to be creative and always had craft projects for me.

After I graduated from Northglenn High School, I decided to pursue a career in art education. I attended Metro State College of Denver for my undergrad and teaching credentials, and after securing a position at Thornton Elementary, earned my Master's Degree in two years from the University Colorado at Boulder. I also transferred to Arapahoe Ridge Elementary in 1999 and have been teaching art here ever since.

Arapahoe Ridge earned the Kennedy Center Schools of Excellence in the Arts Award and the Colorado Alliance for the Arts in Educations School of Distinction in the Arts, both in 2001 (and due in no small part to our brilliant Music teacher, Donna Frederickson!). I display student art in any venue that will display it...two local coffee shops, the Butterfly Pavilion, our Educational Support Center, and at the National Western Stock Show, every year.

In addition to my teaching duties, I was also appointed the visual art content coordinator for my district in 2000, and enjoy the challenges of finding professional development opportunities for my art colleagues and organizing the district art show. My love and passion for teaching children matches my passion for making art and trying out all diferent types of media and techniques, and I enjoy many freelance art projects and taking art classes in addition to finding new and creative art lessons for my students.

I enjoy an ongoing relationship with the Butterfly Pavilion, which is the first freestanding insect zoo in the country. Though it's a scientific research and education center, the education staff recognizes the strong connection between science and art, and has commissioned me for numerous scientific illustrations, as well as the gigantic, 3-walled mural in the tidepool exhibit. I have created and co-facilitate over half of the teacher workshops they offer.

I've been fortunate enough to receive several grants over the years for art equipment and special art projects, such as a full wall mural in our gym, and tile murals throughout the school. In 2005, I was honored to be selected the Colorado Elementary Art Educator of the Year, and the NAEA's Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year in 2006.

In 2009, Colorado underwent the process of revising the state standards for all 13 content areas. I was selected as one of the revision writers for the State Art Standards, and my school district has been asked by the Colorado Dept. of Education to pilot the new standards. With the support of my administrators and the Colorado Department of Education, I have been able to offer teacher professional development on the new Colorado Visual Art Standards, as well as general workshops on the new standards in the other content areas.

Since 2010, my district has been interpreting, defining, and redesigning curriculum frameworks to the new standards and the teaching/learning cycle model; I facilitate the visual art content. We are currently researching best practices in assessment.

In 2011, I was honored again by the Colorado Art Education Association, this time with the "Supervisor/Administrator Art Educator of the Year Award" for my service as Adams 12's visual art coordinator, and again NAEA must have agreed...because I was named Pacific Region Supervisor/Administrator Art Educator of the Year for 2012. I am honored to receive acknowledgement for my work and passion, not only for my students, but for art education in general.

I have the best job in my school...and one of the best in my district as well as the state!