Trish O'Donnell: artist, art educator, life-long learner
The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs, 2012
Biography
I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, in Studio Art with an emphasis in drawing, painting and photography, as well as receiving my Wisconsin 550 Art Education Certification (2003). Upon completion of my student teaching in the Appleton School District, I moved to Taiwan where I taught English to students ranging from six to seventeen years old. I returned to the States for a fulltime position as a high school art teacher at Shawano Community High School in Shawano, WI. After three years, I decided to return to school to further my education to increase my skills and knowledge as a teacher and artist. I completed the Post Baccalaureate Certificate Program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with an emphasis in painting in the Spring of 2008. Throughout this one year reprieve from teaching I realized how passionate I am about the field of education and became anxious to return to the classroom to apply what I had learned. I accepted a position to head the Visual Arts Department at Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL, where I am currently teaching. MVA is an international boarding school as well as a day school for local residents. I am currently teaching Introduction to Art, Two-Dimensional Art, Three-Dimensional Art, Photography I, Photography II, Advanced Studio Art, Advanced Placement Studio Art, and Advanced Placement Art History. I offer a weekly knitting club and sponsor the school's National Art Honor Society as well. I am also enrolled in the University of Florida Masters in Art Education Program, which will conclude in the Fall of 2013. Outside of teaching and being a graduate student, I am also a part time employee at Joann Fabric and Craft Store in Winter Garden, Florida, where I work in the framing department both designing and producing framed art for local customers. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor activities such as jogging, tennis, hiking, canoeing/ kayaking, and bird/ flower identification; cooking; reading; yoga; drawing, painting, photography, knitting and sewing; listening to live music, dancing, and singing; and eating delicious savory foods.