Melissa Schappell, an art teacher at the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPAA) at Salem High School, is a finalist for citywide Teacher of the Year.
Earlier this school year, she helped to oversee the creative development, design and construction of Salem High School’s parade float for the Timbaland Way Day event.
“In my classroom, it is important for students to be able to make personal and interdisciplinary connections that they can apply to multiple facets of life,” Schappell said. “Creative and critical thinking strategies that help students to solve problems and analyze the world in which we live are encouraged.”
A native of the Philadelphia area, Schappell received her bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and her master’s from Radford University. She has 13 years of teaching experience, including 10 at Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Schappell is also an adjunct art instructor with Tidewater Community College
Salem Principal Carey Manugo said Schappell “fosters creativity, academic rigor, and passion in her classroom while empowering her students to think critically, take creative risks, and discover their unique artistic voice.”
Sharon Byrd, academy coordinator and assistant principal at Salem, describes Schappell as the embodiment of what it means to be an educator-artist.
“Her students thrive under her mentorship because she challenges them to exceed their own expectations — always with kindness, humor and heart,” Byrd said.
To promote the work of the students and provide future learning opportunities for them, each year she plans an art show and fundraising event called Raku-B-Que that brings in hundreds of art advocates and families from the surrounding community.
“With the funds raised we have been able to provide students with everything from a printing press to discounted field trip opportunities,” she said. “The bonds and skills acquired through these experiences transcend the classroom and are invaluable to students, with an impact on them that lasts far beyond their high school years.”
Providing service-learning and educational opportunities outside of the classroom is important, Schappell said.
“Through field trips, independent masterclasses, and the invitation of visiting guest speakers, I expose them to museums and galleries, performance spaces, archives and new methods of creating in the surrounding community and beyond,” she said.
Schappell’s work has received numerous accolades, including awards at The Boardwalk Art Show and the Stockley Gardens Art Show. She has also been selected for exhibitions at Virginia MOCA and the Sandler Center.
“Her personal achievements provide an inspiring model for her aspiring young artists,” said Erin Richburg, lead visual arts teacher at VPAA.
