Mazama teacher wins Art Educator of the Year Award

Oct. 13, 2026 / Mazama High School art teacher Hannah Morris was honored Oct. 9 at the 2026 Oregon Arts Education Conference in Portland, where she received the Oregon Art Education Association’s New Professional Art Educator of the Year Award.

Morris will be recognized at Thursday’s Klamath County School District Board of Directors meeting. Some of her students will join her and share their artwork.

The award recognizes Morris’s dedication, creativity and impact on art education during her first years as an educator. School administrators say her ability to engage students at all skill levels has helped build an enthusiastic art community at Mazama.

Ian O’Brien, Mazama’s athletic director, said Morris has a way of reaching students who might not otherwise be interested in art and inspiring them to continue exploring their creativity.

“Anytime you can get a kid who doesn’t like something to like it, that shows you have the ability to reach each student,” O’Brien said.

Mazama junior Aurelia Johnston, who has taken Morris’s classes since her freshman year, said Morris encourages students to experiment and develop their own creative styles.

“She’s just very accepting,” Johnston said. “And she fuels that fire of creativity.”

Senior Isaac Paiva said Morris encourages him to try new things and push his artistic skills. Although drawing and sketching are his favorite activities, he hopes to explore painting more.

Senior Syriah Sutton said Morris helps students work through challenges.

“She’s more of a help-a-kid-learn-in-their-own-way,” Sutton said. “She doesn’t do everything for them.”

For senior Dolion Rezac, Morris’s classroom is a place to pursue art beyond the school day. Rezac regularly attends open studio sessions and art club, finding time to create and unwind.

“Even if school is stressful or whatever, it’s extremely helpful to just come in here and relax for a while and focus on something I really love,” Rezac said.

Morris holds open studio sessions most Tuesdays after school, giving students time to work on independent projects, participate in art club, or catch up on assignments. Students can attend whether or not they are enrolled in one of her classes.

Principal Jennifer Hawkins said Morris combines strong instruction in art fundamentals with opportunities for students to share their work throughout the school. Students have organized art displays and led projects such as Mazama’s Day of the Dead celebration, including designing an ofrenda for the school community.

Vice Principal Sergio Cisneros, who with the other two administrators nominated Morris for the award, said she has created an environment where students feel empowered to express themselves and take ownership of their creative work.

“She really respects and highlights student voice and student perspective,” he said. “Rather than imposing her own approach, she empowers students to take ownership of their work.”

Morris earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Southern Oregon University before moving to Portland to earn a Master of Fine Arts in print media and a master’s degree in critical studies. She recently completed a Master of Arts in Teaching with an art endorsement from Eastern Oregon University. She has spent the past decade working in galleries, exhibitions and curating, first at Southern Oregon University and later at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Working with college students as they prepared their final exhibitions helped her realize that mentoring young artists was what she enjoyed most.

“What I was learning about myself was that I had much more joy working with the students, being a part of cultivating their educational and artistic experience.”

That realization, along with a desire to leave Portland, led her to change careers and begin teaching. Now in her third year at Mazama, Morris also works with the local art community through the Underground Art collective, and has helped students exhibit their art alongside community artists.

While Morris enjoys seeing students pursue creative careers, her overall goal is for students to develop a lasting appreciation for creativity.

“I want my students to learn how to be themselves and to live a life of creative pursuit, no matter what that looks like later in their career paths,” she said. “Creative thinking is important everywhere, and art is important for all of us as a society.”