As a child, Kris Adolf looked forward to the annual “Take Your child to Work Day.” It was during this time that she visited her dad Dave in his technology classroom at Alden Middle School. Kris’ love of teaching was recognized at a young age, but it wasn’t until she was in college that her dad received the call that he’d long hoped would come.
“He didn’t want to push me into education,” said Kris of her dad. “My second year of college, I told him that I wanted to do something that I enjoy, and I love art and I love kids.”
This year, Kris’ teaching career came full circle as Superintendent Daryl McLaughlin nominated her as the New York State Teacher of the Year.
“Kris is OUR art teacher. I guarantee if you ask current or former students about their favorite class/instructor, many will respond: ‘Elementary School art with Mrs. Adolf,’” wrote Superintendent McLaughlin in his nomination letter. “Kris is loved by her colleagues. She has served as a mentor for new teachers, and is a sounding board for all in the Elementary School. Proof that Kris loves what she does can be observed in her classroom every day. Our students look forward to their time in her room, and the resulting works of art.”
While Kris was confident in her love of art, she was reluctant to go into teaching because, at the time she entered college, jobs in specialized areas, including art, weren’t plentiful. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, Concentration in Jewelry/Metals, a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, and a Master of Science, Multidisciplinary Studies, from SUNY Buffalo State University. Kris accepted the elementary art teaching position at Perry Elementary School with the mindset that she would eventually transition to teaching middle school students.
“I never realized how much I would enjoy working with the youngest school-age children, and that, even once other positions became available, I would want to stay with my ‘littles’. I have the best job in school and look forward to the excited faces of my young artists,” said Kris.
Since 2010, Kris has been supporting the creative exploration of Perry’s youngest students. She teaches kids the fundamentals of art, like the color wheel, all awhile pushing them out of their comfort zones and giving them the freedom to have creative license. She encourages them to experiment with art and think outside the box.
“I rush from painting with one group, to weaving with another, drawing with a different group and back to paint again. My room often looks chaotic, but it’s bustling with creativity and happy children. Kids who feel seen and heard and who enjoy learning through art.”
The needs and expectations of students have vastly changed since Kris was a fifth-grader creating a painting of Garfield from a poster she won at Six Flags Darien Lake. Many students have educational and physical hurdles to navigate, and Kris follows groups like Art in Special Education (ASE), established by the National Art Education Association (NAEA), to promote art education with learners with special needs. In March, she attended the NAEA’s national conference to be involved in the ASE discussions firsthand. You might walk by the elementary art room one day and see Kris barefoot and using her feet to paint alongside students who have sensory needs. Every single child is embraced and encouraged to explore their creativity.
One way that Kris celebrates her student-artists, and welcomes families and the community to do so, is by establishing an online Artsonia account for each of her students. Over 50,000 pieces of student artwork have been published. If you’d like to view the artwork, visit Artsonia.com and search for “Perry, NY.” She also enters student artwork in exhibitions like the Arts Council for Wyoming County’s annual All-County Student Exhibition. Through a collaboration with Old Souls Bakery on Main Street in Perry, Kris has displayed student artwork for the last several years. Each August, each student in grades 1-3 has a piece of artwork displayed at Wyoming County Fair in Pike. She explores grant funding to bring artists to PES to enrich instruction, as well as opportunities for students to visit the Corning Museum of Glass and Burchfield Penney Art Center.
“The visual arts are necessary in education; now more than ever,” she said. “As the needs of children have grown and demands on educators have grown, art provides an outlet for creativity, critical thinking and a sense of identity in our youth. Art can improve the mood and psychological well-being of everyone in our schools.”