MAC & OPI name new MTLA candidates
By Monica Grable
Arts Education Director
Montana Arts Council and the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) recently announced candidates for the upcoming fourth cohort of the Montana Teacher Leaders in the Arts (MTLA) program. This incredible year-long program develops teacher leaders who can support other teachers statewide in integrating the arts into their classrooms.
Begun in 2015, the MTLA program trains cohorts of educators to serve as coaches, mentors and advocates in their schools and communities with an arts-integrated approach to teaching and learning through a culturally sensitive lens.
The program consists of a week-long residency at the Salish Kootenai College, completion of a field project (including a $300 materials reimbursement for their projects), and a final Capstone weekend in Livingston in April 2020. Funded by an NEA Artworks Grant and a partnership between the Montana Office of Public Instruction and the Montana Arts Council, this program is beginning its fourth year of providing high-quality professional learning and leadership for teachers across Montana.
Candidates selected for participation are:
Kathryn Coyle, Ennis Institute of the Arts
Ciara Everett, Clinton School District
Heidi Foreman, Capital High School, Helena
Marianne Filloux, Monforton Elementary, Bozeman
April Fox, Turner Public Schools
Katie Knight, Helena School District
Laurie Lutgen, Cayuse Prairie School District
Connie Michael, Crow Agency Public School
Cindie Miller, Thompson Falls (retired)
Keely Perkins, Miles City Schools
Marlene Schumann, Sacajawea Middle School, Bozeman
Becca Stevens, Chief Joseph Middle School, Bozeman
Christine Tharp, Sunburst Schools
Julynn Wilderson, Cohesion Dance Project
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