CORNELIUS – Hough High School art teacher Margie O’Shea received the Secondary Art Educator of the Year award from the N.C. Art Education Association last month.

The association honored O’Shea and several other Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools educators at its annual state professional development conference last month.

During the past few years, O’Shea also taught at South Mecklenburg and Garinger high schools and Northwest School of the Arts. She has served as a cooperating teacher for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and mentor for new teachers.

According to a news release from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, O’Shea seeks community projects for her students that advocate for art, including Pinwheels of Peace, Teen Health and Empty Bowls. In two years, her student raised $4,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank. She also provides her students numerous opportunities to shine by encouraging their participation in programs, such as Gerdau Ameristeel’s Recycled Art Program, in which students reshape recycled metal into art; Festival in the Park, a Charlotte arts festival; and Scholastic’s Art and Writing Awards.

In addition to teaching art at Hough High, she also serves on the district’s curriculum writing team for contemporary crafts and ceramics.