Broadway Elementary School‘s widely acclaimed, long-time art teacher Wendy Bryant-Motley has been recognized as the North Carolina Art Educators Association‘s 2018 Teacher of the Year. Broadway Principal Ricky Secor says that this recognition is much deserved, noting, “Ms. Bryant-Motley sees how art isn’t an end in itself, but is also a means to help understand the other concepts students learn about in reading, math, and other subjects. She is committed to helping her students grow not only in art but also in the community.”
The state teacher of the year award is one of many accolades Ms. Bryant-Motley has achieved in her 2 decade teaching career. She was Lee County Teacher of the Year in 2015, and has earned recognition for the Art Ambassadors program she created in 2014 to bring art students into area assisted living facilities, and her role in the 2016 Collaborative Fashion Show. Ms. Bryant-Motley’s community service also includes the Brick City Bees Initiative, which works to increase the number of beehives in downtown Sanford, and the Art in the Alley program at the 2017 Downtown Sanford Street Festival.
Ms. Bryant-Motley became a part of the Lee County Schools family shortly after graduation in 1988. After 5 years at Lee County High School, she moved to her current role at Broadway. She’s honored by the state-wide recognition and looks forward to representing North Carolina at the upcoming National Art Educators Conference in Seattle. “It’s humbling. I have been to our conferences and sat in the workshops and presentations, and so I know we have some phenomenal art educators in this state. It’s a true honor.”
Welcome To Sanford adds our congratulations to Ms. Bryant-Motley for this special accomplishment and our thanks for the contributions she makes to our schools and our community.
