White Oak art students work toward a third year of the Texas Art Education Association’s annual District of Distinction award. This recognition honors districts that have a strong commitment to visual arts and show community involvement through the arts.

“I’m very excited since we’re working on our third year,” art teacher Kim Taylor said. “Especially with the success we had last year like Kalyn Hepler’s awards.”

Since 2018, school districts 6A through 1A have competed for this distinction. Last year, 1,200 districts entered the ruling, and 96 districts met the standard indicating that their visual art programs were in the top 5.5% of the state. White Oak was one of only five 3A districts to receive this honor.

“I think it’s a huge accomplishment since we only have one art teacher in the district,” Taylor said. “Most schools have anywhere from two to 20 that work on the project, but we’re one and done, and we can still accomplish what they accomplish with many more people involved. ”

To enter the running for this distinction, students must enter certain competitions, do community service, have field experience and participate in cross-curricular activities. Some of these include VASE, TASA and District Exhibitions.

“I’m definitely excited because I get to work on [competition pieces] during class,” senior Abby Robertson said. “This year, I’d say the stock show was the most fun to work on because I haven’t ever done anything like that before.”