'This truly is my dream job': Licking Heights art teacher earns outstanding teacher award
The arts hold a special place in the education of each student at Licking Heights — an opportunity made possible by award-winning art teachers like Mandy Rubino. In November, the South Elementary art teacher was named the 2023 Outstanding Art Teacher for the Central region of the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA).
"This truly is my dream job. I feel so lucky to do this every day. I don’t think there’s anything else I’d want to do," Rubino said. "I just love helping the kids learn to love art."
The Outstanding Art Teacher Award is given to individuals within each of the OAEA regions who demonstrate "a long-term commitment to supporting the visual arts and [impact their] region of Ohio in a positive way." Rubino, along with the other award winners across Ohio, was recognized at the OAEA Professional Development Conference in Toledo, OH on Nov. 9.
Rubino, who is in her twenty-third year with the district, has spent her entire education career teaching at Licking Heights. The art teacher hired at Licking Heights West Elementary for 2023-2024, Julianne Morrow, was once a student of hers, and she works with three different employees at South who were once her students — first grade teacher Kelsey Hoar and aides Lena Edmonds and Reece Collier. Currently, Rubino teaches first through fourth grade students.
"I love having the kids for four to five years in the classroom so I can see all their growth over the years and create relationships," Rubino says. "I love seeing them at the District Art Show each year, or running into them out in the community at Target or Meijer with families. You know the kids and you’ve seen them grow. I’ve known some of them for half their lives at this point."
South Elementary principal Kurt Scheiderer said Rubino’s positivity — and the positive impact she’s had on both students and staff — is what sets her apart as an art educator.
"Ms. Rubino brings a passion to her classroom that is unparalleled and she is truly able to bring out the creativity in all of her students," Scheiderer said. "She is very deserving of this honor and Licking Heights South is lucky to have such a talented and dedicated teacher."
Fellow Licking Heights art teacher and OAEA member Amber Dorsey nominated Rubino for the Outstanding Art Teacher award. Dorsey teaches at the middle school. In particular, she commended Rubino for her deep understanding of how young students feel and learn throughout the creative process. Many of her seventh and eighth grade students still talk about art class with Rubino in elementary school.
"To me, Mandy is the definition of Outstanding Art Teacher, and very deserving of this award. She is a master at inspiring her students throughout their journey in her class," Dorsey said. "She knows how to 'wake up' that creative creature stirring in all students, and helps them express it. Mandy understands her students' needs and abilities, and how to inspire each one of their little minds. To her, all of her students are little artists, and what they make are little masterpieces."
Rubino said that she was inspired to become an art teacher because of the outstanding art teachers she had in school. As an art educator, her goal is to provide young students with a space to be creative and instill a lifelong love and appreciation for art.
"Art class is a necessary outlet. Students need time to explore, experiment and be messy. They solve problems in a different way when sculpting or painting," she said. "I’m so lucky I’ve been here at Licking Heights teaching art for so long. Most schools have one art teacher, and you’re so lucky to get that job. I feel truly lucky."
Information submitted by Licking Heights Local Schools.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Heights art teacher earns outstanding teacher award
