Feature Stories 2016: Three UMass Dartmouth alumni receive awards from the Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA)

Secondary Art Educator of the Year

Christine Neville

Fairhaven High School, Fairhaven MA

Christine Neville was born in Westport, Massachusetts. She received her BFA and MAE from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Christine works predominantly in digital media, photography, watercolor and occasionally fibers and currently resides in Warren, RI with her husband Craig and daughter Ella. She has worked as a secondary visual arts teacher in Fairhaven, Massachusetts for the past 8 years in addition to her photography business CM Photography - www.christinemphoto.com.

Fairhaven's art community is vast and expansive ranging from the digital realm, media, ceramics, art I - IV and AP. With society's fast developments in technology, Christine's curriculum maintains focused on staying current with technology trends in her classroom. This includes having students become Adobe certified in industry standard software. Although technology is a major focus in Christine's classroom, it is ultimately a method for students to create personal connections through their art. Christine can be seen in her classroom presenting through lecture, hands on demonstrations, one on one student mentorship, creating video tutorials, and collaborating with her colleagues. Her hope is for students to be able to look back in twenty years and be able to use art as an outlet to communicate and express themselves.

Supervision/Administration Art Educator of the Year

Jacqueline Francisco

Fall River Public Schools, Fall River, MA

Jacqueline Francisco is the Director of Fine and Performing Arts for the city of Fall River's seventeen public schools, serving over 10,000 students via art, music and theater programs. With almost two decades of classroom experience in the arts, both in the U.S. and abroad, she has built meaningful relationships through art with thousands of teachers and students. Prior to teaching, Jacqueline worked in the design field, and still considers herself an active “designer”- of programs, curriculum, instruction and experiences for students and teachers. Collaboration and growth are paramount within the district’s arts programs, with over fifty educators working together to design tasks for students that engage and excite, making the impossible possible through art, music and theater. Fall River’s diversity is celebrated daily across the city, in every classroom through music programs, art projects, and theatrical productions- through collaborative learning experiences that challenge our students to perform, problem solve, produce and persevere. Director by day, wife, mother and triathlete by night, Jacqueline lives by the mantra of constant growth through challenge, reflection and the idea that in the creative arts, nothing is impossible.

Exceptional New Art Educator of the Year

Timothy Chaves

1LT Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School, Marlborough, MA

Timothy Chaves is beginning his third year as an art educator at Whitcomb Middle School in the Marlborough Public School District.  He maintains a strong presence within his school as a liaison for both student council and art club. He has been a strong advocate for art education since early in his career, holding leadership positions in the NAEA pre-service division at his alma mater the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He is an active member in the art education community, volunteering his efforts to the Youth Art Month and Art All State programs. His passion for art education resonates from his influential teachers and mentors from high school and college. Timothy strives to create positive relationships with his students and establishes a classroom environment where his students can grow, take risks when confronted with new knowledge, and take opportunities to express themselves verbally and visually.