Shaftsbury parents, teachers and community members are well acquainted with Kathy’s reputation of excellence in teaching. A veteran teacher at Shaftsbury since 1977, Kathy designed the Arts and Basic Program, which developed into a successful model for the Southwest Supervisory Union District first, and later, for the State of Vermont. The program itself has won an award from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for being one of the ten outstanding arts programs in the nation.

“From my perspective, Kathy is the “hub” in the wheel of integrated learning at our school. The spokes of this wheel are the teachers, the administration, the children, the parents and the community, both locally and in the neighboring states,” said Sheri Crittendon, Second Grade teacher at Shaftsbury Elementary School. Vermont State Representative Alice Miller said, “She [Kathy Link] has not only energized and put our local school on the map, she has developed a deep and lasting appreciation for art in the school community.”

Sought after by schools and state officials, Kathy toured the State of Vermont giving presentations on her innovative art program. She has received funding for artists-in residence from the Vermont Arts Council and the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Currently, Kathy is re-writing the Arts Education Curriculum for the district, along with the Art and Music teachers. The Arts curriculum is being developed from the Vermont Framework of Standards and the National Arts Education Association.

The Arts and Basic Program works in tandem with classroom teachers, the teachers and students, the students and parents, administrators, artists and teachers, and the entire school community. The program acts a connector between the arts and the classroom curriculum for the benefit of student learning. “Kathy has brought our school a combination of enthusiasm, teaching, administrative, and public relations skills that have been the backbone of our arts integration success,” said Third Grade teacher Paul Rene, who also authored the original Arts & Basics Grant.

Kathy is responsible for bringing in Artists in Residence and other community experts that provide more in depth Arts training for the students. “Over the years she has found poets, dancers, writers, illustrators, basket weavers, foresters, painters, and many, many others to come and work with our children. “We have been very lucky to have a person of Kathy’s abilities for all these years. I cannot imagine a person more deserving of an Arts Educator Award than Kathy Link,” added Rene.

“In recognition of Kathy’s contribution to art education, her Arts and Basics Program at Shaftsbury, and her influence on developing young children’s art interests and talents, I nominated her for the 2002 Vermont Alliance for Arts Education’s Arts Educator of the Year,” stated Norma J. McShane, the Shaftsbury Elementary School’s Principal. McShane pointed out perhaps the most important aspect of Link’s talent and hard work: its effect on the students. “I feel her most memorable accomplishments are when her students honor her by winning local, state, regional, and/or national awards for their art work. These students’ achievements really speak to Kathy’s creativity as a teacher and a promoter of art education,” McShane said.

The Vermont Alliance for Arts Education (VAAE) is a statewide organization which annually recognizes outstanding schools and arts educators for their achievements in arts education. For future awards information go to the VAAE website www.vaae.org.