Sierra Whitaker, Sweety Patel, Lillian Johnston and Sarai Barrientos-Gomez were officially recognized for earning the State Superintendent's Award for Arts Excellence April 19 at a ceremony in Guthrie.
Whitaker, Patel and Johnston earned the award in drama/speech. Barrientos-Gomez was chosen to receive the award in visual arts.
Madill speech instructor Lori Hartin was in attendance last night.
Click for photo gallery of Ceremony
Photo courtesy Lori Hartin
Press Release from the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education High school fine arts students receive state recognition OKLAHOMA CITY (April 11, 2022) – Every spring, students from across Oklahoma receive special recognition at the State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence. The 32nd annual event, hosted by the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education, Oklahoma State Department of Education, and Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma, will be held on April 19 at 7 p.m. at the Masonic Temple in Guthrie. High school juniors and seniors will be recognized individually in the ceremony for their remarkable talents and will receive awards in dance, drama/theater, instrumental music, piano, visual arts and vocal music. Teachers will also be honored for their leadership and support of quality arts education and academic excellence in Oklahoma schools. "I am incredibly proud of these students and their teachers. Studying the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, critical thinking and verbal skills, as well as motivation, concentration, confidence and teamwork," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of arts educators, these students are well rounded and well prepared for a successful future. I encourage their schools and communities to celebrate their accomplishments." “This award is the highest accolade by the State of Oklahoma honoring students, teachers and administrators who exemplify arts excellence.” said Dr. Isolete De Almeida, Chair of the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education. “The award brings the disciplines of music, dance, theater and visual arts together, showing these recipients that their hard work, passion, creativity and expression are valued components of our communities and culture. A well known art educator, Elliot Eisner, once said that the arts teach 10 very important life lessons. Among those lessons is the lesson to see different perspectives, to make good judgements, and change according to difficulties. We celebrate these skills as we recognize students who are excelling in the arts.” This year, 118 Oklahoma students are being honored with the Arts Excellence award. Please consult the list of honorees here to find winners in your coverage area. The 2022 State Superintendent’s Awards for Arts Excellence teacher honorees include David Koehn, music educator at Edmond Public Schools, Merrie Palmer, drama/theatre educator at Ada City Public Schools, and Scott Smith, visual art educator at Lawton Public Schools.
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