One of the many submitted art pieces is seen during Tuesday evening’s art display on the exterior of the Cullman City Schools central office.

The Cullman City Board of Education made student artistic achievement the centerpiece of its last meeting before heading into winter break.

The exterior of the board’s central office was transformed into a “living art display” leading up to and throughout the duration of the meeting. Teachers at each of the district’s schools submitted selections of their student’s artwork to be projected upon the buildings south-facing wall, giving the meeting’s attendees and passer-by’s an opportunity to enjoy the creations.

Cullman High School art Teacher Elizabeth Miller said the project was proposed to her as a way to showcase the talent that she sees inside of her classroom each day.

“I am thankful for the opportunity I have to work in this school district, where the arts are not an afterthought and are appreciated,” Miller said.

Everything from charcoal sketches, oil paintings, photography and even crayon creations were featured in the rotating display Tuesday evening. Miller said that the pieces she submitted were chosen, not only for having stood out to her and the other students in the class, but also as a way to highlight the varying artistic mediums that her students are drawn to.

“When picking artwork to showcase, my main priority was to show a variety,” Miller said. “We have students who gravitate towards painting and others who prefer drawing. Then we have others who are drawn to try art mediums that others may not think of; like collage and plaster. I like to have a variety of art mediums accessible in my art classes for this reason and to help develop the student’s artistic abilities.”

Cullman High School Sophomore Elianna Hollis had multiple award winning pieces showcased within the display.

“I think it is excellent that the art students are finally receiving recognition, as most activities and organizations outside of sports don’t seem to hold as much weight in our school system. The very reason I create, and my main inspiration, is to bring others joy through my art, through depicting humanity, social issues and interesting people and their stories,” Hollis said.

Hollis said that her favorite medium is colored pencil which she used to create one of the evening’s displayed works — a portrait of two figures leaning against opposite sides of a hallway. Hollis described this portrait as an interpretive commentary on introversion and introspection.

“I feel that pieces such as this are important to bring awareness to certain topics and issues with allowing the viewer to form their own opinion,” she said.

These displays will continue at each board meeting moving forward. Next month will feature still images captured during the performances of the drama departments at each school.

Inside the building, guests were welcomed by Cullman Middle School students Ariana Black and Jacob Yu performing a selection of Christmas carols on piano prior to the meeting starting. This performance was carried over into the first minutes of the meetings agenda with encore performances from Cora Wiggins who played “Christmas Time is Here” and Jacob Yu who “jazzed things up” with his rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock.”

The board kept with its December tradition of naming the Teacher of the Year from each of the district’s five schools. The teachers receiving this recognition were: Amanda Stidham from Cullman City Primary School, Beth Collins from East Elementary, Mary Beth Cleveland from West Elementary, Katie McGee from Cullman Middle School and Lori Andrews from Cullman High School.

In other business the board:

• Approved the job description for Head Varsity Football Coach and Football Operations.
• Approved the reimbursement of up to $2,500 to LeWayne Morton for energy costs at personal facility.
• Approved a contract with Kelli Hughes to provide CPI training.
• Approved for the Cullman Theatre program to attend the SETC Conference in Lexington Kentucky March 1-5, 2023.
• Approved the following resignations: Bobby Hill (Custodian at Cullman High School), Brooklyn Browning (Instructional Assistant), Oscar Glasscock (Head Varsity Football Coach), Karla Rodriguez (Interpreter/Family Service Worker at Cullman City Primary School).
• Approved the transfer of Leigh Anne Combs from Special Education Assistant to Instructional Assistant at Cullman City Head Start.
• Approved the conditional employment of the following personnel: Emily Steele (Extended Day Instructional Assistant at Cullman City Primary School), Ivy Loosier (Extended Day Instructional Assistant at Cullman City Primary School), Tiffany Johnson (Special Education Instructional Assistant) and Paula McPherson (Special Education Instructional Assistant).
• Named Lauren Shelton the Cullman Middle School Boy’s Soccer Coach.
• Approved the unpaid leave of Jessica Lowry for January 26 and 27, 2023.