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Two Orange County Schools teachers named NCAEA Art Educators of the Year

 

Collage of students interacting with their students

Pictured from left to right: Sarah Brown-Schumacher and Amanda Aguayo, helping with their students art projects.

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The North Carolina Art Educators Association (NCAEA), a collaborative professional association that promotes K-12 visual arts education, released the names of 12 art educators across the state who will receive art educator of the year awards. 

Among the winners for 2024-2025, two of our very own Orange County Schools art teachers – Sarah Brown-Schumacher and Amanda Aguayo – made the list as Elementary Art Educator and Middle Level Art Educator of the Year, respectively.

Student and teacher looking at a paper

Schumacher is the Visual Arts Teacher at Efland-Cheeks Global Elementary and also serves as Region 3 coordinator on the NCAEA Board. With over a decade of experience in the classroom, she works to bring the love of art to her students. 

Receiving this award made Schumacher feel “humbled and honored,” and she didn’t have to feel this alone - her school felt this with her. 

“The day my principal announced the award to the students, I got many congratulations from kids - some happy birthdays from kindergarteners - and a standing ovation from the fifth graders in the cafeteria during lunch. 

“But even cooler was when I was getting messages from parents after their student took the news home.”

Currently, Schumacher’s students are creating art inspired by famous artists to create products for a fundraiser. This includes her third-grade class replicating the style of Romero Britto, a Brazilian artist known for his use of vibrant colors and bold patterns. 

As a member of NCAEA, she said she’s been able to build a community which has changed who she is as a person and a better educator.

Aguayo, the Gravelly Hill Middle School Visual Art Teacher, leads a choice-based program that allows students to explore the arts through artistic behaviors. Through this program, her students are able to have control of their class experience from start to finish, within the provided guidelines and curriculum. 

Aguayo has been a member of NCAEA on and off for the duration of her teaching career, but recently got more involved during her time in OCS, which she says has been a huge advocate for the arts. She also serves on the NCAEA Board, working with General Assembly Artwork. 

Teacher and student at desk, teacher is smiling at student

While she was initially shocked at being named Art Educator of the Year for middle schools, she knew this was her chance to use this newly-awarded platform to promote representation and equity both inside and outside of the classroom. 

“[I want to] use my voice for change, use my voice to speak up about inequities, sometimes it’s uncomfortable conversations that we’ve got to have,” said Aguayo. 

As leaders selected by their peers to represent art educators statewide, both Schumacher and Aguayo hope to use this opportunity to build connections and collaborative opportunities with other art educators in the district as well.

It’s no coincidence that two OCS educators were named Art Educators of the Year which they both credit to working in a district that strongly supports art education.

“We are so fortunate to be in a county that supports art education [and] I hope that all of our schools can set an example to the state by supporting us and our kids,” Schumacher said. 

As a team, Schumacher and Aguayo hope to be advocates for the arts by using their platforms to increase equitable funding, increasing student and family engagement and community support.

Schumacher and Aguayo will be receiving their awards at the annual NCAEA Conference this November in Asheville.

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