Chelmsford's Amy Brown Named MAEA Elementary Art Educator Of Year.

CHELMSFORD, MA —Amy Brown, an art teacher at Chelmsford's Byam Elementary School, has been named the Massachusetts Art Educators Association (MAEA) Elementary Art Educator of the Year.

The announcement was made Tuesday and Brown will be honored on Nov. 12 at the MAEA Conference in Worcester.

"This honor has been a professional goal since the moment I stepped into my first art classroom 17 years ago," Brown told Patch. "It feels extra special to earn the award as an educator in my hometown, where I decided I wanted to be an art teacher at the age of 9. Chelmsford is an amazing community, and I am so thrilled to bring a love of art to my students for years to come."

Brown is a 2001 Chelmsford High graduate who attended the Monserrat College of Art and Salem State. She spent 14 years teaching at Hemenway Elementary School in Framingham before coming to Byam a little over two years ago.

"The MAEA couldn't have found a more deserving recipient of their Elementary Art Educator of the Year award," said Jason Fredette, principal of Byam Elementary School. "Amy's love of art is contagious, and she fosters our young Byam artists to create meaningful skills, as well as pride in their accomplishments. Her contributions go beyond her excellence as an art educator."

According to Chelmsford Public Schools, in addition to her work in the classroom, Brown is a sought-after speaker about how art can be a tool for positive change and empowerment.

The district said Brown embraced this role while in Framingham after a racist incident involving students there forced Brown to change her art lessons.

"I felt we needed to respond to it and turn it around positively," Brown said. "I wanted my lessons to stress messages of peace and love and anti-hate."

Brown, who regularly showcases her students' artwork on her social media channels, said she loves her job.

"If I ever won the lottery, I would still be an art teacher," Brown said.