Centennial teacher Stacey Gross has been named 2015 Illinois Art Educator of the Year. The award presented by the Illinois Art Education Association shines a spotlight on one outstanding IAEA member, for exemplary contributions, service and achievment. Ms. Gross’ dedication to visual arts at the local, regional, and national level is cited as the reason she was chosen as recipient.
In addition to teaching a half-dozen (or more) classes at Centennial, Gross serves as the Fine Arts Department Content Area Chair, the K-12 Visual Arts Coodinator for Champaign’s Unit 4 School District, and co-sponsors Centennial’s Gay-Straight Alliance. (Extra curriculars count, guys.)
Her colleagues and superiors recognize her progressive teaching techniques and her extraordinary advocacy for the arts. Gross claims inspiration to be the best teacher possible comes from her peers, administrators, mentors and collaborators.
The award will be presented at the IAEA Conference in Lisle, Illinois on November 6, 2015.