Southern High Art Chair Receives Outstanding Teacher Award

Southern High art teacher Michael Bell is once again being recognized for his exceptional teaching.

The Washington Post announced on Monday that Bell was one of 21 teachers to receive the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award. Bell was chosen by the school system for going above and beyond the day-to-day duties to create exceptional educational environment for DC area students, according to The Post.

According to a release from Anne Arundel County Public Schools, the award is named for Agnes Meyer, the wife of Eugene Meyer, a former publisher of The Washington Post. They recognize “teachers who have shown initiative, creativity, and an exceptional degree of professionalism in teaching,” and are accompanied by a $3,000 award.

“Anyone who knows me—really knows me—knows how humbled and honored I am to have received this award,” Bell said in a release. “But this isn’t for me, it’s just all about my kids. This one’s for my kids, for my principal, Marc Procaccini, for our superintendent, Dr. Maxwell, and for everyone who has the dedication and does the hard work it takes to help our kids be the very best they can be, to script confidence onto their blank pages, to help their lives have meaning.”

This is not the first time Bell’s teaching has received recognition. On Feb. 15, the College Board awarded Bell the William U. Harris Award of Excellence, a national award given to teachers who demonstrate a commitment to serve and inspire young people.

Throughout his 19-year career at Southern High School, Bell has won national awards, has helped his students win the national Rising Star Award four years in a row and was named Teacher of the Year.

Each year the National Art and Education Association awards one student in the nation the Rising Star Award, and one of Bell’s students has won the last four years in a row.

When he isn’t teaching, Bell is an accomplished artist himself. He is currently working on a narrative thematic series of paintings for his “buddies” on the HBO TV show The Sopranos.

In February, Bell told Patch that the inspiration for his own artistic career comes from his students—whom he looks forward to working with everyday.

“I love this, being around kids, it gives me the juice,” Bell said. “Kids have so many ideas. Imagine being surrounded by artists with amazing ideas all day long, it is so cool to have that. If I was alone in my studio all day I would go crazy. I love the kids and the relationships we form.”

See Also:

• Student Inspiration Leads Southern Art Teacher to National Recognition