When 3D Art Teacher Leia Reed first came to Village Christian School, she set out to elevate art education.
Now she’s being recognized for her innovations.
Reed is one of five nationwide winners of the FACTS Teacher Innovation Awards, the organization has announced.
“Art is everything about my life and purpose that God has built in me,” Reed said. “I always wanted to show all my students— regardless of how they view their own artistic qualities— that art education is important, and that our work together could be recognized on a higher level than just our classroom or our school. I still want to elevate my students’ work to various kinds of platforms in the world— each year I get to try new things and it’s a step by step process. This achievement is validation that daily progress is meaningful no matter what kind of work you do.”
Notification of the honor first came in December, however, Reed was personally presented with the award, which included a $5,000 check for her and $1,000 for VCS, during Chapel on Wednesday.
“FACTS created this program to shine a light on creative teachers making a difference through bold initiatives, commitment of their students, and in support of FACTS’ mission to make education dreams possible through service and technology. Mrs. Reed truly is the perfect example of this mission,” said FACTS Regional Vice President Kristen Blake during the presentation. “We were truly fascinated with the details involved in Mrs. Reed’s deep-sea tournament.”
The Deep Sea Art Tournament was held in November. Students created ocean-themed pieces for the special on-campus competition with winners voted on by visitors to the exhibit.
“Leia Reed is a gift to VCS and all of her students. She is dedicated and committed to seeing every student thrive,” said High School Principal Doug Berry. “Village is blessed by her service to students.”
Reed currently teaches Art Studio 3D, Middle School Art 3D, High School Visual Arts, AP Studio Art 3D, and Sixth Grade Wheel.
In addition to the financial gift, she will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Atlanta in July for FACTS’ Elevate Conference, where she will present the Deep Sea Tournament to fellow educators.
“We are so proud of our amazing Visual Arts teacher Mrs. Reed on winning this prestigious award,” said Head of School Tom Konjoyan. “Her creative, innovative, and excellent work in the classroom – and beyond – makes her more than deserving of this recognition.”
Nominations for the award opened in October and were evaluated by a special panel that included FACTS’ Executive Team in early December, with the goal of recognizing “exceptional educators that are creating a lasting educational impact through innovation in their schools,” Blake said.
And that led the panel back to Reed, who was met with a loud ovation from the students and faculty during the award presentation at VCS.
“I love that every day I am looking forward to seeing my students and seeing what they want to create,” Reed said. “I love that my work is based on building beautiful things together. My students bring so much joy and life into the structure I set before them, and I’m always excited and anticipating the next best thing for us to work on.”