MoxieBox Hero

ICalifornia Teacher

Recognized as a I met Stacey Dulbecco through a California Arts Project event, where educators came together, from across the state, to create professional development opportunities for teachers to comfortably align the arts within the curriculum.

Moxie Hero By Jennifer Alexander

She is a superhero.

I was immediately impressed by her thoroughness and consideration. A few years later, I was excited to learn that she was the art teacher at Maywood Middle School in Corning, where I had just been hired. Over the years, Stacey provided students and staff with exceptional art experiences with enthusiasm.

Her structure brings a necessary sense of importance and emphasis to the arts in our school community. Stacey’s lessons are dynamic and engaging and students grow into conscientious and thoughtful artists. She has a spark that reaches our school community.

Fire destroyed everything.

Stacey’s family lost everything in the California Camp fire, including their custom-built home, all of the art she and her husband collaborated on that acted as mementos of their years together, photographs, and memories.

Even though Stacey said, “It’s just stuff. We still have each other,” her family had lost artifacts that marked their personal histories and grounding.

Despite her extraordinary loss, Stacey managed each day with grace and quiet determination. Staff members tried to support her, without truly understanding the layers of grief, the task rebuilding, or the long-term traumatic effects.

When Covid hit, teachers everywhere faced new realities. I need Stacey to know, without a doubt, that she is a superhero. Her contributions to our community and classrooms are seen, appreciated, even celebrated. A side-effect she may not be aware of in her own lesson planning, is the inspiration and spark those thoughtfully planned lessons cause in adults who are supporting the students we all teach. Her approach and perspective elevate our own thinking and offer new perspectives within our own artistic experiences. She is amazing, and fully worthy of this award.

MoxieBox Art gave Stacey with a certificate from MoxieBox Art, three MoxieBoxes for her daughter, and $1,000 in art supplies from Blick Art Materials. bUneke Magazine offered to share her story!

MoxieBox CEO Jim Warner said, “Our next hero just might surprise you. Nominations are not reserved for teachers. They can be for anyone in any field. It’s okay to nominate yourself, too.”

Learn more! moxieboxart.com

She rose to the challenge.

bUneke M A G A Z I N E .org 18 Stacey became a valuable resource for many of our teachers because of her willingness to dive into these new platforms. She researched how to continue to develop her students’ creativity and expressions, and brought cutting-edge lessons to her digital classroom. Once again, Stacey rose to the challenge and facilitated a community of support, inclusiveness, understanding, and learning. As Stacey was rebuilding her life, the Dixie fire blew through Lake Almanor, devouring the cabin she and her extended family had spent their childhood and adult summers in. Once again, her family faced devastation and the momentous task of agencies and insurance companies in a massive clean-up. ,

Jennifer Alexander is a Special Education teacher who is currently teaching middle school students in grades 6-8 in Corning, CA. Her interest in education includes incorporating the arts to further student engagement and understanding.