(WHAS11) - The newest winner of the whas11 E.ON US Excel Award likes to teach on the move.
In fact, you may see her class walking toward the University of Louisville campus.
Cynthia Young is a visual arts teacher, whose school is walking distance from her best laboratory.
She teaches art and art history.
Cynthia Young's students spend almost as much time in the speed museum as they do in the classroom and Wednesday, Noe Middle School was saluting a teacher who leads them as art explorers.
The Noe Middle School chorus was serenading art teacher Cyndi Young, punctuated by shouts of "I love you" from her students.
The school's principal says there is a real connection.
“Cyndi brings heart and soul to Noe Middle School and she provides such a rich learning experience for her students everyday and then care about them as people,” says the school’s principal.
On Wednesday, the heart of Noe Middle School was holding the Excel Award, and listening to cheers from her students.
There was a big check from E.ON US and a teary moment where a teacher expressed how much she enjoys her job.
“I get to go to work and play all day long and not many people get to do that,” she says.
It's a school where almost all the students have signed on for art education and signed an art apron as a gift to the teacher.
The education director at the speed museum says when Cyndi visits with her students, it's a magical time.
Back at Noe, she’s already discovering the artwork hidden inside the minds of her students.
“If they all came in here and were Davinci's, I wouldn't have a job, I mean, art is not, it's a skill, you write your name, drawing is just following a line,” she says.
Cyndi says following the line is a skill that can be taught.
“Anybody can learn how to draw. I can't teach necessarily creativity, however, I can give you the map and that's just the principles and elements. I mean anybody can do this,” says Cyndi.
Her colleagues call her energetic, fun and a little quirky and her art is her students.
Cynthia Young is the second Excel winner of this academic year.
There will be three more excel awards presented in Jefferson County in February.
Beginning in March, WHAS11 will take the Excel to six other county school systems in Kentuckiana.
