Stanly County Arts Council honors Arts Educator of the Calendar year – The Stanly Information & Push

Given that 2014, the Stanly County Arts Council has identified a Fine Arts Educator of the Year, affectionately acknowledged as the “Jim Kennedy” award in memory of prolonged-time arts advocate, trainer and mentor, James D. Kennedy.

The award acknowledges a fine arts teacher in the Stanly County general public faculty procedure who has produced a sizeable constructive impression on the arts in instruction and has encouraged college students to pursue, take pleasure in, and respect the fine arts. Nominations are submitted by principals from the elementary, middle and substantial colleges in Stanly County.

The 2022 receiver of the Fantastic Arts Educator award is Randall (Randy) Fike, visual arts instructor from West Stanly High Faculty.

Fike received his award at the April Board of Schooling conference. Fike also gained a $250 classroom scholarship to enable him carry on his successful arts method at West.

He will also be publicly acknowledged for this honor at the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra concert at 3 p.m. Oct. 23.

“Mr. Fike is an advocate for all of the arts. He enjoys doing work with pupils on all stages,” West Stanly principal Anne McLendon wrote in her nomination. “Mr. Fike uses his AP pupils as leaders in the classroom as they will instruct and model different artwork techniques. He displays pupil artwork all more than the college campus. He serves on the college leadership staff, chairs the weather committee and serves on Senior Advisory. His management in the arts is nicely identified all over our university and the county.”

A 28-year resident of Stanly County, Fike arrived below from Parkersburg, West Virginia.

After graduating with a master’s diploma from Marshall University, Fike started instructing at Albemarle Significant College.

Certified in math, social experiments and artwork, he taught math for 10 decades right before switching to social studies in 2004. He expended 19 years at Albemarle Higher, remaining named the school’s Teacher of the Yr in 2010.

In 2013, he moved to North Stanly High Faculty to train its State-of-the-art Placement Historical past courses, becoming named the school’s Co-Trainer of the Year in 2017.

Right after four yrs, he moved to West Stanly to take around the Visible Arts Method.

Fike explained his shift as an effort and hard work to realize much more imaginative alternatives in his occupation. Whilst training at Albemarle, he generally tried to use art as the basis of his specialized math classes. His cartoon drawing was also an attempt to foster creative imagination in social research classes at Albemarle and North Stanly. He included, “the prospect to instruct artwork at West was a innovative challenge, that, in hindsight, I could have only dreamed of.”

The social component of an art class is not misplaced on Fike.

“Art course receives each sort of university student, from the popular to the social outcasts. They all have the similar point in common. They have a voice that wants to be read. I feel it is my job to give them that chance.”

Fike believes that art finds a way to prevail over diversity.

“I have a several groups of students that I know would in no way have interacted … turn out to be pals, if there was no artwork course.

“One of my preferred students, a incredibly gifted senior, instructed me that she would have dropped out of university had art not been there for her. That was my proudest second in 28 decades of educating.”

Given that arriving at West, Fike has worked to showcase West’s university student artists with many shows and exhibits. West artwork has been proven normally at the Locust Library in the City Middle in Locust. West Stanly High has also sponsored yearly artwork shows at the Falling Rivers Gallery and the Stanly Arts Guild & Gallery as perfectly as the Artwork Council’s Celebration of the Arts Student Artwork Display. A long term selection of student get the job done (donated by university student artists for the duration of their senior 12 months) is exhibited in the foyer of West Stanly Higher, the initial piece attained just after Fike’s initially 12 months in the position.

In addition, Fike has set up a “Gallery Hall” at West Stanly to consistently show latest perform.

An avid traveler, Fike has accompanied quite a few groups of learners to Europe to learn and investigate other cultures, the initially time in 2000 and most recently with a team from West in 2019.

He also finds time to go to a Cubs activity or two all through the summer time. Fike likes to sketch and draw and enjoys clay and ceramics, setting up a workshop at his residence in Albemarle.

Fike joins preceding wonderful arts educators of the 12 months awardees Lori Watson, songs trainer at Stanfield and Locust elementary universities Michelle Osborne, artwork trainer at Central Elementary Stacy Bottoms, artwork instructor at West Stanly Middle College Jessica Kiser, band/music teacher at Albemarle Center University Frank Poolos, band director at North Stanly High College Rebekah Crisco, artwork trainer at North Stanly Middle University and Derek Smith, band director at West Stanly Large.

For the 12 months 2021, the Arts Individual and High-quality Arts Educator of the Year awards have been combined and honored all arts educators in the county for their devotion to inspiring youth to pursue the arts for the duration of the pandemic.

The Stanly County Arts Council was founded in 1974. It carries on to market and aid all artwork kinds in the local community. Its mission is to persuade and market broad-dependent cultural and academic activities in the arts during Stanly County.

The Stanly County Arts Council is supported by non-public donations and by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Division of Cultural Methods, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

For the most current facts on the arts in Stanly County, visit www.stanlycountyartscouncil.org. Call Renee VanHorn, govt director, at [email protected].