Jonny Price, center, celebrates her Creative Teacher Award, with, from left, Dauphne Maloney of the Renaissance Theatre, Superintendent Brian Garverick, Claire Filiberti of Mansfield City Schools and Carole Swope of the Mansfield Art Center board.
A Mansfield Senior High teacher has been recognized for creative teaching by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education program.
Jonny Price, an English and drama teacher, received the North Central Ohio Creative Teacher Award this week.
Price devised a lesson plan built around shadow puppetry after attending a workshop by national teaching artist Hobey Ford at the Renaissance Theater. During an interview Ford explained the impact shadow puppetry can have.
“For a visual spatial kid, kinesthetic learners or others who don’t learn in traditional ways, art makes the difference,” he said. “Art addresses the different intelligences that children have.”
Price used Hobey’s workshop instruction to develop an arts lesson plan for students, including those with autism. Her students prepared shadow puppetry to present a story.
Local teaching workshops conducted by Hobey and other national teaching artists are made possible through the Kennedy Center’s recognition of its local Partners in Education team – Mansfield City Schools, the Renaissance Performing Arts Association and the Mansfield Art Center.
Price’s award includes tickets to the Renaissance Theatre, membership in the Mansfield Art Center, dinner for two at a local restaurant and a cash prize.