Art department chair, 3D art and ceramics teacher, homecoming and prom planner, NAHS sponsor, and powderpuff coach–Carrie Quinn really does do it all.
“I would say my responsibilities as a teacher, on a day-to-day basis, are preparing my students, helping guide them through projects, helping translate the information as much as possible, and bringing real-world applications to projects,” Quinn said. “I think a lot of my students are always curious about the why. Why does this matter? Why am I doing things like this? Why is this not working well? I help them find ways to channel that to move forward through our projects.”
Quinn started working as an art teacher after graduating from high school here and was even able to teach in the same classroom where she took art classes.
“This was my first job when I got out of college,” Quinn said. “After I graduated from here, I knew I really wanted to come back, and this was the only place I applied to. I was in this classroom when I was in school here, and I took ceramics. That was what inspired me to be a teacher.”
Despite Quinn’s already heavy workload, she takes on the task of being the lead decorator and planner for both homecoming and prom.
“Last year, we were able to create an events crew, and that allowed us to have a set of students to be leaders within the planning,” Quinn said. “We met during resource a lot and created a giant task plan. I have this plan that outlines everything in my day-to-day, my rundowns, and everything that I need to do for the dances.”
When not working or helping with a school dance, Quinn spends time at home, typically doing more art or projects around the house.
“I bought a house in Valparaiso last year, so I’m constantly teaching myself something new to do,” Quinn said. “I’ve learned how to do stuff on my roof and my basement, and I’ve learned a lot of DIYs. So I would say pretty much art is my whole life, with both art here and art at home.”
Quinn takes on a lot but is still able to keep her classroom a positive environment and let students create artwork that they can take home and cherish.
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