The moment students enter Visual Arts teacher Kearci Thompson’s classroom, they realize that her room is not just a classroom of the arts but a product of her ‘paint-astic’ passion. For her commitment to fostering enthusiasm and artistic growth in her students, Thompson received the Orange County Outstanding Arts Educator Award on Feb. 27 at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa.
“Winning one of these awards feels surreal because I feel like all I do is get to hang out with awesome students and help them with their already talented selves,” Thompson said. “But it’s a reminder to me that there is a lot of hard work that goes into this job that I do, and it helps me to recognize I’m worthy of celebrating and that there is a lot of dedication and drive I show as well.”
In order to win an award in the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators category, teachers must be nominated by a peer or administrator, according to assistant principal Amy Paulsen.
“Ms. Thompson has always been a proponent for the arts for everyone,” Paulsen said. “She was our first visual arts teacher [and] she wanted access for all students. She wanted that access to be interesting, and to hopefully pique the interest of students to continue on in the program.”
To meet the needs of students with varying degrees of interest or skill in art, Thompson created various courses in the visual arts program including AP Art Studio, according to Paulsen.
“She’s helped me grow a lot in my art over the years,” visual arts board president and senior Sofia Szczedrin said. “She really cares about making sure that her students are growing and having fun in their classes.”
Thompson also helps her students deepen their experiences beyond assignments. For example, she organizes plein-air days for students to develop their art skills outside of the classroom, according to Szczedrin.
“I think [this award] just encouraged me that even when things get really crazy this time of year with our gallery show prep and different projects going on at one time that my work is seen and appreciated by students and community,” Thompson said. “That pushes me to continue making those new fun opportunities for students to collaborate, create together and do things outside of just their own individual projects.”
