When Christina Kimmel MA ’15 got the chance to go back to school, she promised herself she would do things differently.
After graduating from Temple’s Tyler School of Art in 2008 with bachelor’s degrees in photography and art education, she had a choice to make: enter the work force or pursue a master’s degree right away. Moore was on her radar, and she was drawn to the College’s history of support for women in the arts and its impressive job placement rate.
“I’ve been wanting to do Moore’s master’s program for a long time. I started asking about it before it was even a program,” she said.
Kimmel decided to get some teaching experience under belt before continuing her education. She worked in alternative education and as a substitute teacher before she was hired by the School District of Philadelphia in 2010.
Moore soon launched its MA in Art Education with an Emphasis in Inclusive Practices, much to Kimmel’s delight. Once she was accepted, she knew she wanted to take full advantage of all the resources offered to her, like the Margaret Minik Writers Studio, which was a huge help as she wrote her thesis.
“When I was an undergrad, people didn’t really take the time to explain all of the resources that come with college. Being a little older, I wanted to make it worth it. I took every effort to reach out to people and get all the feedback I could,” she said. “I feel like it took me from being an average educator to the next level of writing and learning. It helped me learn how to learn, which helps me teach better.”
Throughout her time at Moore, Kimmel said she felt supported by faculty and her “amazing” cohort of 12 students. She was also impressed by the program’s rigorous curriculum, which kept her updated on the latest teaching language, trends and techniques.
“[The program] tuned me into how to find resources and how to siphon through the bad stuff, which are great skills,” she said.
Kimmel is now in her 13th year as the art teacher at Cook-Wissahickon, a K-8 school in the School District of Philadelphia. She’s worked tirelessly to raise funds, host art-related events, and acquire donated materials for the school—efforts that were recognized when she was nominated for the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching by her principals.
For the 2023–2024 school year, the Christian F. Lindback and Mary F. Lindback Foundation will recognize 60 outstanding teachers from the School District of Philadelphia with the award and a financial prize. A ceremony honoring the educators will be held at the Philadelphia Film Society on May 21, 2024.
Although she says she’s not one for the spotlight, Kimmel says she feels respected, appreciated, and acknowledged by the award. She’ll continue to give back to her students and to Moore, where she serves on the advisory board of the Master’s in Art Education program.
“I’m here to support [Director and Associate Professor of Art Education] Lauren Stichter and give her insight as somebody that works as an art teacher,” she said. “We’re giving feedback for the program that will help students succeed the most.”
Want to learn more about Moore’s MA in Art Education? Contact our Admissions team at enroll@moore.edu or 215.965.4015 to set up a call or a campus visit. We’d love to tell you more!
