Martinsville High School AP English and dual enrollment teacher Brian Lane received the Arts in Education Award at last night's Clyde Hooker Awards ceremony hosted by Piedmont Arts.
A native of Pennsylvania, Lane has been involved in the arts his entire life. He began performing in musicals at the age of 9, a passion he continues to pursue even now. (Be sure to see him as Mr. Krabs in the upcoming Patriot Players production of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL!)
Lane joined the staff of MHS in 2015, where he has continued to incorporate the arts into his teaching. Just this year, Brian's students were among the MCPS classes that hosted poet Roscoe Burnems through Piedmont Arts Educational Outreach Program for a week of workshops.
He believes that engaging students in the arts gives them the skills necessary for success in any career path they choose including communication, collaboration, critical and creative thinking, and time management. He is also a firm believer that experiencing and participating in the arts helps everyone develop empathy and understand the world around us.
MCPS Coordinator of Humanities and Advanced Programs Cary Wright said, "It is refreshing when a tenured teacher is willing to experiment with new ideas and methodologies to reach our students by any means necessary. We are lucky to retain such gifted educators."
After a long hiatus, Lane recently rekindled his passion for writing poetry following a professional development workshop at Piedmont Arts. He was invited by the Virginia Commission for the Arts to perform his poem, "I Am the Son," at the state Poetry Out Loud competition. You can watch his performance here: