NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams Public Schools art teacher, Kyle Strack, has been awarded the Distinguished Arts Educator Advocate Award for Visual Art from Arts|Learning, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing arts education in Massachusetts.

 

According to a press release, the award honors exceptional arts educators who advocate for the arts and arts education in their school and community. 

 

Strack, now teaching at Drury High School, was selected for his consistent efforts towards increasing access to high-quality visual arts opportunities for students in his previous role as the art teacher at Greylock Elementary School, where he was teaching when his nomination was made.

 

Strack was nominated by Anne-Mary Riello, principal of the former Greylock Elementary School. 

 

"Our A|L Awards Committee agrees with Anne-Mary that you must be an outstanding educator," Arts|Learning Executive Director Nancy Moses wrote in her notification about the award.

 

"We're thrilled to see Kyle's efforts recognized," said District Arts & Communications Coordinator Leslie Appleget. "His work shows the most sustained type of advocacy there can be: dedication to students, creating opportunities for their success, and being present to honor the commitments made to their learning."

 

At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Strack organized a school art show, which featured artwork created by each of the school's K-6 students. This successful event brought out more than 100 families for one of the last events in the building before its closure. Additionally, Strack worked in partnership with Berkshire Museum last school year to integrate three of the Museum's science- and social studies-themed MoMUs (mobile museum units) into his art classes with grades 2 and 5. This arts integration effort brought museum objects into the classroom that students might otherwise not have had access to, and elegantly tied the content with standards-based visual arts learning.

 

Strack will be formally recognized at Arts Learning's 37th Annual Champions of Arts Education Advocacy Awards on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Worcester Art Museum in Worcester.