Heart of Teaching Grant supports student artists

Written by Aileen C., Dallas Education Foundation Social Media and Marketing Intern

Last March, the library at Hillcrest High School was buzzing with students – this time not reading books, but instead displaying their original creations for Texas Art Education Association Big Art Day.

Karleen Hesselbacher, art teacher at Hillcrest High School, used her Heart of Teaching grant, to bring back the ceramics program for Hillcrest and give students creative opportunities to showcase their art.

Terrence Florie, the principal at Hillcrest High School, wanted to restart the ceramics program since the COVID-19 pandemic, and with support from the Dallas Education Foundation, it was brought back to the school.

“Art is life for students,” Florie said. “The Dallas Education Foundation is doing wonders for our programs.” 

For Big Art Day, students created intricate mosaic tiles and ceramic whistles. Some projects advanced to the High School Visual Arts Scholastic Event, where 50 Hillcrest students participated in the art competition and one student even moved onto the state level.

Hillcrest students also participated in the Equilibrium Art Show, a community-wide exhibition featuring multiple types of art. Elementary and middle schoolers from the Hillcrest vertical team were met with artwork that led from the school’s front door to the courtyard. The experience was interactive as students created live sidewalk drawings as visitors were welcomed into the school.

The Dallas Education Foundation’s 2023-2024 Heart of Teaching grants created opportunities for over 30 educators to integrate the arts into instruction and to build equity with new or existing arts programs. Projects like these would not be possible without the community’s support of our schools, students, and teachers.