Six GGUSD Educators Honored with Arts Education Awards

From left: GGUSD educators Chrissie Leong, Gloria Wargo, Summer Hughes, Micah Heath, Eric Keawekane, and Marcie Dormaier were honored during a special awards ceremony hosted by the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators.

The Orange County Music and Arts Administrators recognized six Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) educators for making a difference in the lives of students through arts education during a special awards ceremony at Segerstrom Center for the Arts on May 17.

Awards were presented to Marcie Dormaier, teacher at Evans Elementary School; Micah Heath and Summer Hughes, teachers at Riverdale Elementary; Eric Keawekane, Visual Arts teacher at Los Amigos High School; Chrissie Leong, dance and theatre teacher at Garden Grove High School; and Gloria Wargo, Visual Arts teacher from Hare High School.  

“Garden Grove Unified School District’s Board of Education has a long history of prioritizing our Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs because we believe that music and the arts bring tremendous benefits to our students lives,” said Board of Education Vice President Lan Nguyen. “We are proud of our excellent educators for going above and beyond to provide enriching experiences to our students.”

At GGUSD, Visual and Performing Arts programs are offered at all schools. Every transitional kindergarten through sixth grade student receives weekly music instruction and 7-12 enrollment in VAPA courses, including dance, music, theatre, and visual art, exceeds the state average. Beyond the robust opportunities for students during the curricular day, GGUSD students have opportunities to participate beyond the school day in Disney Musicals in Schools productions; ukulele and mariachi clubs; and a variety of other extracurricular clubs in the arts.

The Orange County Music and Arts Educator Awards are presented annually to teachers and administrators who guide and direct art programs at schools throughout the county including instrumental, theater, visual arts, choir and dance.