This year Warren Hills welcomes another new face to the district.  Miss Genevieve deBoer is ecstatic to have taken on a position in the Fine Arts Department as Yearbook Advisor as well as teaching some of the mixed media courses.

deBoer went to school for Fine Arts with a concentration in Art History at East Stroudsburg University.  Originally, she wanted to be a curator at a museum, but after receiving her undergraduate degree, she ended up getting a job at Pottery Barn at the Lehigh Valley Mall. She said she recalls the joy she found in decorating and falling in love with the company.

From there she ended up taking interior design courses and becoming the design manager of the store. When the company decided to make changes, deBoer figured this would be a perfect opportunity to go back to school. She took courses at Kutztown University and received her master’s degree in Art Education while also earning her teacher’s certification.  She expressed that she was extremely excited to go back to school because she had always enjoyed it.

“In high school, I was very involved in the arts.  Mostly choir and theater, but it instilled a love for the arts and creativity in me at an early age,” she said. “Those [master] courses also taught me the importance of collaboration and gave me the ability to learn how to be flexible and work under pressure.”

According to deBoer, these collaborative skills ended up being helpful in sharing her passion for the arts.

“One of the major pros I find in the work I do is that I can share my love of the arts and the knowledge of the importance of the skills that the arts teach us to my students and colleagues,” deBoer said.  “Art is such a multi-faceted and ever-changing subject that really embraces all people and subjects.”

The only downside, said deBoer, was that her focus has shifted from her creations outside the classroom.

“A disadvantage would be that I don’t always have the time to focus on my own art making,” said deBoer, who enjoys photography and decorative arts.

In the end, though, deBoer said it’s all worth it.

“I enjoy when a student realizes that they can make art, that they can consider themselves an artist and when their artwork is reflective of their life in some way,” she said. “It is exciting when students see that art is truly a universal language and when they are able to create something that is their own.  That is a really empowering feeling.”

To others looking into a similar career, deBoer offered her advice.

“I would advise that if you plan to teach, to love your subject!  If you lack passion, you will lack the will,” she said. “I would also advise that if you plan to pursue an art career, be ready to be a lifelong learner because the world of art is always changing.”