Recipient of the 2018 Oklahoma Governor’s Art Award, Crista is entering her 20th year in education, having taught every level from kindergarten to undergrad. Crista has her BA in Art Education and her masters in Curriculum and Instruction. She is the 2014 District Teacher of the Year for Stillwater Public Schools. Crista currently teaches Art at Bethany High School in Oklahoma and is an adjunct professor for Oklahoma State University.
Crista has learned that to empower students you have to motivate them, and to motivate them you have to connect with them. Thankfully art has the power to do just that. Crista has a way of using art’s flexibility with artists and non-artists alike, to foster creativity, connections, and calm in life’s turmoil. She has presented the concepts she’s learned with other educators at state and national conferences, from ways to connect with students, methods to alleviate stress, and strategies to motivate learners.
Through her own battle with cancer in 2020, Crista has lived the importance of connecting with others and with one’s own self through art. She is a painter and photographer, dog mom of two, and says cooking is her love language.