The Utah State Board of Education (USBE), supported by a grant from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, will honor Utah arts teachers and programs on May 5 through the Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education. Awards from both 2020 and 2021 will be presented at the banquet due to pandemic postponement. The awards recognize distinguished educators who embrace the arts with excellence in their practice at Utah’s public schools.
The awardees will be honored with a banquet at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park on May 5. This year’s recipients are:
- Angela Tanner, Alpine School District
Elementary Dance Instruction - Lisa Kirkwood Bean, Nebo School District
Elementary Drama Instruction - Marie Smith, Crescent and Oakdale elementary schools, Canyons School District
Elementary Music Instruction - Chalynn Thomas, Ashley and Davis elementary schools, Uintah School District
Elementary Music Instruction - Claudia G. Marsden, Nebo School District
Elementary Visual Arts Instruction - Melinda Van De Graff, Willow Springs Elementary, Canyons School District
Elementary Visual Arts Integration - Lori Nickerson, Westland Elementary, Jordan School District
Elementary Arts Integration - Jill N. Smith, Lehi Jr. High, Alpine School District
Secondary Music Instruction – Junior High - Leah Tarrant, Taylorsville High, Granite School District
Secondary Music Instruction – High School - Bart Francis, Mountain View High, Alpine School District
Secondary Visual Arts Instruction - Erinne Roundy, North Davis Preparatory Academy
Secondary Visual Arts Instruction - Noemí Hernández-Balcázar, Granite School District
Exemplary Arts Education Administration - Mary Ann Lee, Tanner Dance
Lifetime Achievement in Arts Education
Recipients from 2020 are:
- Chara Huckins, Backman and Parkview elementary schools, Salt Lake City School District
Elementary Dance Instruction - Amy Hickenlooper, Early Light Academy
Elementary Music Instruction - Joshua Roberts, Blackridge Elementary, Jordan School District
Elementary Music Instruction - Sarah Butterfield, Altamont and Centennial elementary schools, Duchesne School District
Elementary Theatre Instruction - Marie Mattinson, Edgemont Elementary, Provo School District
Elementary Visual Arts Instruction - Tina McColloch, Provo Peaks Elementary, Provo School District
Elementary Arts Integration - Deborah Kesner-Steinberg, Eisenhower Jr. High, Granite School District
Secondary Dance Instruction - Geoff Anderson, Fremont High, Weber School District
Secondary Music Instruction - Todd Campbell, Woods Cross High, Davis School District
Secondary Music Instruction - Brian Cox, Indian Hills Middle School, Canyons School District
Secondary Music Instruction - Kara Poulsen, Diamond Fork Jr. High, Nebo School District
Secondary Theatre Instruction - Georgiana Simpson, Whitehorse High, San Juan School District
Secondary Visual Arts Instruction - Douglas Allen, Beverley Taylor Sorenson Brigham Young University Arts Partnership
Administration of Arts Education - Weber State University Arts Learning Collaborative, Kelly Bruce Glynn, Taara Goldbogen, Erinne Roundy
Exemplary Arts Program - Julie Christofferson, Nebo School District
Lifetime Achievement in Arts Education