Ambassador
Being a part of this fellowship will give me feedback and guidance with lesson planning, as it always does when working with a team of colleagues—something I don’t have in my small district. I am the only art teacher in Scio, so the fellowship could make a real difference as I work to build a higher-level art program and integrate this level of research and care into my students’ artwork.
Michelle Hickey graduated from Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts, emphasis in Drawing and Painting, and a minor in Art History. She earned her Master of Teaching from Pacific University and started teaching at 23 in Salem, Oregon. Hickey’s career has been split between teaching Middle School and High School, and she now spends half her day teaching each. She is currently teaching Art in Scio, Oregon, which includes drawing, painting, ceramics, mixed media, fused glass, sculpture, and printmaking. What drives her as an educator is the confidence she sees in students when they feel like they can do something well in art, and then go out to do it again. She enjoys just being in the art room and creating a welcoming space where others can create something of their own. Hickey loves laughter in the classroom and being able to have fun while making something of quality. She always asks students to be proud of their effort, and she models the same for them with a project she is working on for them to see. It’s a great motivator—being able to make art every day and model that practice.
