ARTS EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Award: The New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival welcomes you to the 2023 Arts Educator of the Year Award nomination page. The award will be presented to an NJ Arts Educator whose work and dedication to arts education has transformed a New Jersey school or a New Jersey School District. All NJ Arts Educators, working in any art form, are eligible for this award. A monetary award will accompany the honor of being named the 2023 NJ State Teen Arts Festival Arts Educator of the Year.

The Honor: The award recipient will be honored during a ceremony at the 2023 NJ State Teen Arts Festival at Middlesex College in Edison.

The Nomination: Nominations can be made by superintendents, school principals, or arts supervisors.

Deadline for nominations is May 1st 

previous award recipients

Therres
2023 Arts Educator of the Year
Rachel Therres
Rachel Therres is an Art Educator at Hillside Innovation Academy and has served as an Advisor of the National Junior Art Honor Society since 2010.
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Penna
2022 Arts Educator of the Year
Dr. Michael Penna
Dr. Penna is a Theater and English Teacher at Collier High School in Wickatunk, NJ. He has a Ph.D. in Education from Walden University.
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Longo
2021 Arts Educator of the Year
Shawna E. Longo
Shawna E. Longo is the General Music (Music Technology) teacher and Arts Integration Specialist at Durban Avenue School, Hopatcong, NJ.
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Kearns
2019 Arts Educator of the Year
Ian Kearns
Ian Kearns is a proud graduate of DeSales University. He has been an arts educator in the Point Pleasant School District since 2007 ...
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Safari
2018 Arts Educator of the Year
Argine Safari
Argine Safari is passionate about transforming the lives of her students through the power of music.
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Grollman
2017 Arts Educator of the Year
Valerie Synder-Grollman
Valerie Snyder-Grollman is a proud graduate of Rutgers University, Douglass College.
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Kupcha
2016 Arts Educator of the Year
Randy Kupcha
You don’t even have to enter the building to see and feel Mr. Kupcha’s impact on Branchburg Central Middle School. Visitors to our school are ...
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ARTS EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINATION FORM

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Name of Individual Making Nomination*
Nominations are to be made by superintendents, school principals, or arts supervisors.

Nominee Information

Name of Award Nominee
Dance Teacher, Theater Arts Teacher, Poetry Teacher, etc.
Please explain your working relationship and history to the individual you are nominating.
What are the nominee's accomplishments and how has it transformed your school or school district? You can input or paste the information here or upload a word document below.
Accepted file types: doc, docx, Max. file size: 256 MB.
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