St. Stephen’s Honored With 2024 TAEA District of Distinction Award

The Texas Art Education Association (TAEA), the largest state professional organization for art educators in the U.S. and leading advocate for the visual arts, named St. Stephen’s Episcopal School a 2024 District of Distinction for its outstanding leadership in promoting visual arts across the campus and community. 

St. Stephen’s visual arts instructors Elizabeth Zepeda and Michelle Avery recently accepted the award on behalf of the entire Fine Arts team at the Fall Conference General Assembly in Galveston, Texas. The organization honored all 94 winners from across the state who met its high standards for the 2023-24 school year. The honorees are among the top 5.5 percent in art education of districts in the state.

“Getting recognized for our school’s artistic achievements speaks to the dedication of the students as well as the faculty,” said Zepeda. “It's not about comparing one school to another, but just knowing what we are able to accomplish when we give and create a space for our students to openly facilitate art and allow students to explore their own visual narrative.”

Zepeda said this honor was also made possible by the generations of St. Stephen’s arts instructors who came before her, who were key to building the strong arts program that exists today. In addition to receiving the award, Zepeda also co-presented a conference workshop called, “Whose Story Is It?” which highlights effective ways to engage students in expressing themselves through art history. 

The TAEA winners received the distinction for providing a well-rounded education that advocates and integrates visual arts curriculum to inspire creativity and build social emotional learning that connects learners to their community and beyond. This is the fifth year that TAEA has honored districts that meet rigorous criteria, as evidenced from data.

Over 1,200 districts were eligible to apply for the 2024 award. Each district submitted documentation they met from the 14-point rubric over the 2023-24 school year. TAEA also looks at field experiences, community service and community exhibitions as part of the rigorous rubric for the award.

“St. Stephen’s has set a high standard for visual arts advocacy, integrated visual arts curriculum, encouraged creativity, community participation and student growth,” said Nealy Holley, Chair of the Visual Art Administrators of Texas, a division of TAEA. “It is a true testament to your visual art educators’ skill, dedication, and flexibility that the quality of their programs continued to provide strong and comprehensive visual art educational experiences to students.”

Congratulations to the St. Stephen’s Fine Arts Department on this outstanding achievement!