Because of her hard work and talent, Colfax Elementary Art Teacher Joy Hudson was named the Art Teacher of the Year by the North Carolina Art Educators Association (NCAEA). This GCS educator, who teaches approximately 950 students per week, was chosen from candidates statewide.

“I am honored and it feels great to be selected after working at this career my whole life,” said Hudson, who was recognized at a banquet on October 27 in Winston-Salem. NCAEA also awarded her with a plaque.

Even as a child, Hudson knew she was an artist. Inspired by her high school art teacher, Cynthia Dameron, and her father, she would use her imagination to invent things with the simplest materials—strings and sticks.

Now, after 26 years of teaching, this Colfax teacher still has a great appreciation for art. As an art teacher, Hudson is able to inspire young children to have that same passion that she had as a child. She also teaches her students to be creative and resourceful in their artwork. “I love the idea of teaching children to recycle materials and ideas,” she said.

“Ms. Hudson makes art come alive in her classroom,” said Sam Patterson, assistant principal at Colfax. “She exposes her students to a variety of art mediums that encompass various interests. She actually develops the art potential in every child.”