Art Teacher Honored by Woodland Hills Foundation

Barb Amick, a visual arts teacher at , is being honored with an award after working and volunteering for 36 years in the district.

A graduate of Churchill High School before the was created, she has been committed to educating students in her hometown ever since.

For Amick, who also has volunteered her time with students during he course of her career, it has all been a blessing.

“I get to do what I love best—art,” she said. “I don’t think anyone could have a better job than I have.”

Amick is being honored by the . She is being recognized for her dedication to the students and the district, her creativity as an artist, her limitless efforts as a volunteer, and her generosity as a donor to the Woodland Hills Foundation.  

“I have a great passion for teaching art and enjoy the look on a kid’s face when it clicks and everything works out,” Amick said. “Or, when they make a mistake, they learn from it and move on. I could have never stayed in another job for 36 years.”

Amick graduated from college with a studio arts degree when her father asked what she was going to do with her life. Right away, she decided on education.

“I have volunteered a lot of my time to the Woodland Hills Foundation and give a lot of my time after school for the students,” Amick said. “In the summer, kids come to my house and work with me. I have found that it’s something different they have never done before and we did the murals and paintings throughout the district as well.”

Those mosaics have given students a great sense of pride and accomplishment.

“It’s exciting to show them that they can do something for all the world to see,” Amick said. “I want them to experience something really enjoyable and fun to do, while at the same time everyone will see it as they drive by.”

Amick said she was shocked when she found out she will be honored this year by the foundation.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It’s something I have done because I wanted to do it and give the kids the best experience possible as they grow up. Maybe they can pass on what they have learned to somebody else.”

No matter what, it’s always about the students, she said.

“It’s always about getting kids excited about the arts and showing them how important it is in their lives because it’s everywhere,” Amick said.

Currently, she and her students are working on a brand new mosaic which will be positioned just below the Woodland Hills High School marquis. Other murals she has helped create are at Edgewood Primary School and can be seen throughout the district.