Garden Hills Academy is a magnet school with a focus in Math, Engineering, and Leadership.

My contributions as the art teacher developed a powerful hinge to the overall community. The art room was central to the building with a door connected to a courtyard in the middle of the school. Students loved to come by anytime they could to explore new materials, help organize and maintain the classroom, or touch up an assignment from class.

A grant from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign allowed us to invite artists to our school to engage in school-wide artistic endeavors in attempts to pride, connection, and trust in our school community. We were able to create banners, parachutes, buttons, and a mural in that lovely courtyard.