Source: Coronado Unified School District
Six Coronado Unified School District faculty and one student received Region One 2022 Arts Empower Ovation Awards. The winners will be recognized at the June 9, 2022 School Board meeting at 4pm. The awards celebrate outstanding arts educators, individuals, and organizations that influence and contribute to arts education. Nominations come from students, parents, teachers, school leaders, or community members.
Austin Lim, a senior in the Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) Visual Arts Conservatory, received the Youth Artist Transformation award. The award is given to “a student who exemplified the transformational impact of access to learning in the arts.” Criteria for the award include: artistic growth, social-emotional growth, and mindset growth. Lim inspired in all growth areas both in the classroom and in his art; including his creation of a large-scale public mural of wings with unique feathers that community members could stand in front of to ‘get their wings’ and take photos during the pandemic. The piece is entitled “Good News. Great Joy. All People.”
Lim’s teacher, CoSA Visual Art Department Chair Karrie Jackson, said “Austin Lim is to be commended for his contributions of optimism, perseverance, citizenship, and courage to our community. Not only has Austin made an impact with large scale public artworks, he also makes an impact in the studio every day. His genuine sense of humor is infectious, helping to promote morale in the studio.”
Karrie Jackson also received an award in the Artful Visionary category. She and CUSD Director of Special Programs, Shane Schmeichel, were both recognized for their roles in developing and implementing a Strategic Arts Education Plan as part of the Project Arts 4 Learning Department of Defense grant. Jackson and Schmeichel were integral in planning and executing the multi-year TK-12 arts plan; including integration of arts curriculum across other secondary disciplines, and support for the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program in elementary education.
CUSD had four winners in the Creative Leader category, which recognizes leadership and commitment to arts education: Coronado High School Art teacher Laura Hill was recognized for her longtime dedication to student-created campus art installations and her unique ability to guide students to find their personal creativity; Village Elementary Art teacher Cynthia Fuhrmann, whose K-12 scaffolding curriculum exposes students to a variety of art forms beyond physical, including music, dance, and art history; Coronado Middle School Performing Arts and Choir teacher Linda Kullman, who greatly enhances student experiences by scheduling opportunities for them to perform outside of the classroom at multiple district and community events throughout the year; and Kris McClung, whose bold vision for an intensive, curriculum-based arts program in 1996 led to the establishment of the Coronado School of the Arts.
Arts Empower San Diego is a collective impact initiative of the San Diego County Office of Education working to improve and support arts education throughout the county. Region One encompasses school districts in South San Diego County and includes Chula Vista Elementary, Coronado Unified, National, San Ysidro, South Bay Union, and Sweetwater Union.
Source: Coronado Unified School District
