Outstanding Elementary Art Educator

Mary Elizabeth Meier recieved her Master of Science in Art Education at Florida State University where she studied under Drs Tom Anderson and Sally McRorie. After presenting her thesis, Evaluating Multimedia for the Classroom using an Art Criticism Model at the 2003 NAEA conference, she has found creative ways of using new media and technologies to enhance her students’ understanding of arts and culture. Meier currently teaches elementary art K-5 at Union City Elementary. She passionately believes in integrating technology into the art room while building relationships with other schools, artists, and the community at large. To emphasize how the arts can build such relationships, Meier has initiated a community activity called Artist Trading Card Family Night that involves students, parents, and teachers in making and trading art. Last spring, she presented ATC Family Night: Community and Collaboration to an enthusiastic group at the NAEA conference in Chicago.

Mary Elizabeth was an invited presenter at the workshop series for elementary classroom teachers, Enhancing Education through Technology where she demonstrated classroom integration and critical evaulation of education technology processes. In 2005, Meier received a Union City Area Foundation Grant to gather and maintain a permanent collection of professionally framed student art.

Since 2005, Mary Elizabeth has served on PAEA Board of Directors as a regional co-representative. She also serves on the PAEA website team, communications committee, and Welcome Project committee. She and her students were one of 22 schools to participate in the PAEA/Mural Arts Program project that erected a student painted mural at the PA Department of Education. Her photographic documentation of this mural project is being published in a Scott Foresman textbook this year.