Dan Ryan, Art Teacher for Dryden Elementary School and Cassavant Elementary School received the Art Educator Recognition Award at the Gala for the Arts at the Everson Museum in Syracuse. This event took place on June 21st and was hosted by the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation Arts-in-Education department.
William Jones, Arts-in-Education Coordinator, presented the award stating, “Dan is what we call a teacher champion. When we think of a champion teacher they often embody selflessness, leadership, and advocacy.They are the spark that creates change and pushes people out of their comfort zones, while still staying pure to their objectives of what is best for kids. He quietly does amazing and innovative projects working to build stronger connections in his elementary art room and creates an atmosphere of creativity and expression.” Jones continues, “Dan also single handedly took on the monster of building a new elementary art curriculum aligned to the new NYS Arts learning standards for his district over the past summer. It was through this pain staking process that created the pathway for his colleagues to follow. Few people willingly take on such a workload for the betterment of others, but Dan is a true champion.”
Congratulations Dan on your well deserved recognition! Thank you for creating exciting and engaging learning opportunities for our students. You are such a dedicated and inspiring educator, we are lucky to have you as a leader in our district.
Additionally, we would also like to thank the organizers and volunteers of the Gala for the Arts. This opportunity to showcase the talent and hard work of educators as well as students in the fine arts within Central New York is beyond valuable. We applaud the organization’s commitment to investing in school art programs, lessons, and practices. To read more about the evening, please click here or for information on CiTi Arts-in-Education offerings, visit CiTiboces.org/ArtsInEd.