Stoppel, Julie - K-6 Art

Julie Stoppel This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

     Teaching wasn’t my first love; it was shoes. But after being in the shoe business for eighteen years I realized I wanted to do something more important and meaningful with my life. So my husband and I sold everything and moved with our two-year-old daughter to Northern Michigan in 1993. One winter evening we went to “Twelfth Night”, an evening sponsored by SeeNorth, a science and environmental education group. On this night, the animals can talk. As we walked through the forest, a bear, a raccoon, a woodpecker and others came out and told their stories. I was hooked. The very next day I called the organization to volunteer. I would do anything. Instead, they hired me to be an environmental educator. This was an incubator of ideas for me. They did everything right, involving kids in hands on experiences, learning through play and the arts. That is when I understood my calling. I would teach.

     Adding to my degree in Art History from Michigan State University, I received teaching certification from Spring Arbor University and a Master’s in Art Education from Ohio State. I taught K-12 Art and Drama at Concord Academy Boyne for 11 years before coming to Concord Petoskey in 2007.Concord is a perfect fit for me because I believe that students learn best when the most connections can be made. Arts integration is a great way to achieve those connections. To the artroom I like to bring story, artist impersonations, art history and science. My proudest moment was when I won an Eddi award for Art Education in 2005.