FEBRUARY 9, 2023 — The Lyons Central School District is excited to welcome Mrs. Maura Brooks as its newest Art Teacher in the MS/HS.
Mrs. Brooks earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz in 2006 and her Master’s Degree in General Education from Elmira College in 2011. She comes to Lyons from Dundee Central School District, where she has taught art for the last eight years.
Mrs. Brooks is excited to make her classroom a space where students can explore what art means to them, rather than following strict rules with no room for creativity.
“I took art in high school, and I didn’t have the best experience,” Mrs. Brooks said. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘You know, I can do this better,’ and that’s really been something that’s driven me in my teaching career.”
Mrs. Brooks will be teaching Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, and Ceramics and Sculpture to Lyons students this school year. In the coming years, she has high hopes to expand the District’s offerings and would especially like to bring back a Black & White Photography program.
But for the 2022-23 school year, Mrs. Brooks is looking forward to getting to know the students. She sees her role as an educator as a partnership of sorts, and she’s hopeful she can help open the door for aspiring artists who are interested in their own growth.
“I’m fairly chill, and I have a laid-back philosophy: I’ll trust you until you’ve given me a reason not to,” Mrs. Brooks said. “And if you have a great idea, I want to hear it. I think art is a very emotional subject, and I kind of keep that in the forefront of my mind.”