How Art Illuminates
UNSUNG HEROES
in Education
BY JILLIAN DIAMOND
W SPOON: LOULOUVONGLUP/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; STUDENT ART PROVIDED
hen Terri Downey-Holton, a
training specialist in food and
nutrition services at Baltimore
City Schools, was recognized in a special art
exhibit, she felt understood.

“To be a part of this, for someone to really
acknowledge our work after all these years,
is really important,” she says. “We’re finally
appreciated, and it’s a really good feeling
since we were overlooked for so long.”
That’s what art does—it helps us rec-
ognize others and show our appreciation,
especially for those who often operate under
the radar or behind the scenes. Giving peo-
ple a platform for their stories can help us
connect with them.

In education, there are a lot of moving
parts that come together to ensure a stu-
dent is learning and thriving in a school
environment. The efforts of unsung heroes
to keep these parts in place were noticed
even more at the start of the pandemic,
when students who relied on one-on-one
support, classroom interaction and daily
meals did not have access to those resources
in the same way.

Even while school buildings were
closed, teachers were working hard to
administer online classes for their stu-
dents, and food service workers were still
delivering meals so that students who
relied on them each day did not go hungry.

Collectively, BCPS staff prepared more
than 11 million meals during the 2021-2022
school year.

For the first time, these school food
service workers are being recognized by
the wider community, thanks to a special
exhibit, on display at the Baltimore Museum
of Industry through the end of the year. It
provides an opportunity to put names and
faces to this important work and illuminate
the stories of these hometown heroes.

“Food for Thought: Spotlighting Food
Service Workers at Baltimore City Public
Schools” features interviews with nine
area food service workers, all either cur-
rently working or having worked to provide
“Thank a Teacher” art contest middle school winner 2022
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