Art teacher encourages creativity

Cedar Hill—It didn’t take long for Felecia Whitfield to make her presence felt at Collegiate Prep Elementary.

Whitfield, who has 20 years of teaching experience, joined the campus as the Art Director in August and immediately won campus Teacher of the Month honors.

“I like the fact that I can teach creativity,” Whitfield said. “Creativity is the number-one skill for executives. It leads to problem solving, critical thinking and discovery.”

Whitfield comes to Collegiate Prep after nine years in a neighboring district where she was a Campus Teacher of the Year.

“Joining Cedar Hill ISD is the best thing I could have ever done,” Whitfield said. “The administration is extremely supportive, and I love the culture at the school.”

At Prep’s Fall Festival on Oct. 29, Whitfield’s classroom will host a “Glow In The Dark” Museum with her students’ art. It’s the fourth year she’s done it but the first in CHISD.

“The kids are excited about it,” Whitfield said. “They said ‘Wow, we’re going to do that?’”

Whitfield and the students will learn which pieces of art glow the brightest.

The daughter of educators, Whitfield grew up in Kentucky and studied art education at Tennessee State University in Nashville.

She originally worked in the corporate world but then came full circle when she became an art educator. It happened by chance after she began working with her own children’s art classes in Dallas two decades ago.

Before Whitfield knew it, she was the five-time chair of the Art Festival at her kids’ school.

Whitfield earned a master’s degree in human relations/business from Amberton University and is currently pursuing a second master’s degree – this time, in 18th century art from Lindenwood University.

SOURCE Collegiate Prep Elementary