Tyler ISD has received a 2020 District of Distinction Award from the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA). The District joins only 42 school districts across the state to earn the distinguished honor for providing a well-rounded education that advocates and integrates visual arts curriculum to inspire creativity in learners.
“We are so very excited to receive the TAEA District of Distinction Award for the second year,” Sandy Newton, Tyler ISD Director of Visual and Performing Arts, said. “Even though we only had two-thirds of the school year due to the pandemic, our teachers found a way to have a strong visual arts program and to meet the rubric of criteria needed for the designation.”
Among the rigorous 12 point rubric components are community service, art display opportunities, and arts integration. Meeting the community service component was the District’s Empty Bowl project, where students created and sold ceramic bowls to benefit the East Texas Food Bank. For the art display component, various student art pieces received the prestigious honor of being selected to display at the Capitol in Austin as part of Youth Art Month. Additionally, Tyler ISD also highlighted student art pieces from every campus through its first Virtual Art Show on the District’s Facebook page. Arts integration in programs incorporated at Caldwell Arts Academy along with other campuses across the District also produced quality results.
“We truly have amazing artistic talent in Tyler ISD, and our teachers do a phenomenal job bringing out this talent in our students each and every day,” Newton said.
For the 2020 award, more than 1,000 districts were eligible to apply. Each district submitted documentation they met from the 12-point rubric over the 2019-2020 school year. Tyler ISD along with the other districts will be honored at the TAEA Administration & Supervision Division meeting as part of the TAEA Conference on November 21, 2020. The event will be held virtually this year.
For more information, please contact the Tyler ISD Communications Office at 903-262-1064.