Gabelhouse, Thomsen earn statewide honors for artistic teaching talents

November 6, 2024

Sarah Gabelhouse and Liz Thomsen are helping local students create artistic masterpieces in their classrooms with Picasso-level teaching strategies.
 
The Nebraska Art Teachers Association (NATA) praised both Lincoln Public Schools employees for their work guiding students on artistic adventures. Gabelhouse, who began teaching at Standing Bear High School this fall, received the NATA Elementary Art Educator of the Year Award for her efforts at Arnold Elementary School last year. Thomsen received the NATA Middle/Junior High Art Educator of the Year Award for her talents at Lux Middle School.
 
Both classroom leaders said the state award experience has been humbling and encouraging. More than 75 teachers and administrators congratulated them at NATA’s fall conference in McCook.

 
“I was so honored and appreciative when I first found out about the nomination,” Thomsen said. “Then, when I went through the process and gathered three recommendation letters of support and read what my colleagues wrote about the work that I do in our building and for our district, I was so grateful for their perspective and recognition of my work. It’s a great feeling to know that others see what you are bringing to the building and trying to do for art education.”
 
“I felt honored to be recognized as a nominee,” Gabelhouse said. “To be selected as the recipient by the Nebraska Art Teachers Association was so very touching.”
 
NATA President Samantha Guelden said she and others on the executive committee were impressed with their educational resumes.
 
“Each candidate had amazing support letters of recommendation from colleagues and mentors that supported and reflected their hard work and dedication to arts education in Nebraska,” Guelden said.
 
NATA Awards Chair Crystal Hassenstab said publicly acknowledging efforts of teachers like Gabelhouse and Thomsen raises awareness of the value that art brings to school buildings.
 
“It is incredibly important for teachers to be recognized for the quality work they are doing in their art classrooms,” Hassenstab said. “Recognition not only validates the teacher’s dedication, creativity and impact on students, but it also highlights the significance of arts education as a whole.”
 
NATA members present the annual awards to teachers who have made “outstanding contributions” both inside and outside the classroom. LPS Curriculum Specialist for Visual Art Lorinda Rice said Gabelhouse and Thomsen both represent the commitment to excellence that is found throughout LPS.
 
“The beautiful thing about LPS art teachers is that they’re curious and want to know new ways of creating and learning,” Rice said. “That’s always good. If your teachers are modeling curiosity and lifelong learning, then you can have students who are seeing that and also noticing that they can do the same thing.”
 
Sarah Gabelhouse
 
Gabelhouse grew up learning about art from her mother, Diane, who won a statewide NATA award in 2010 for her educational work at LPS. Gabelhouse has continued the family legacy by helping students connect with art in imaginative ways.
 
Rice said Gabelhouse was nominated because of her willingness to pick up new teaching paintbrushes. She has developed innovative plans to help students with their drawing, sculpting and watercolor skills.

 
“Sarah has been doing some amazing things with inquiry-based learning and the creative process,” Rice said. “She’s one of our newer teachers who is continuing on with learning and trying to find new ways to engage today’s students in things that are meaningful to them in their artmaking.”
 
Gabelhouse spent her first three years at LPS at Arnold Elementary School before moving to Standing Bear. While the ages of her students are different, her goal is the same for all of them.
 
“I love facilitating creative growth in my students,” Gabelhouse said. “Helping them follow a path of their own curiosity that leads to research and experimentation, coming up with ideas and synthesizing their experience is super rewarding to witness. When a student has the ‘ah-ha’ moment and you get to see them feel good about sharing who they are and what they think about their understanding of the world through their artwork, it’s priceless.”
 
Gabelhouse has given many presentations about her instructional ideas to local and state audiences. She has spoken at NATA conferences and has passed along her artistic research to both teachers and administrators.
 
Gabelhouse said she hopes students can be energized and inspired each time they walk into her classroom.
 
“I completely believe that art can save lives, so it’s not too far-fetched to say that finding a path forward with art can positively impact a student’s life for the better,” Gabelhouse said. “I hope my classroom is that open door or beacon of light for my students, a place where they can try ideas and have success.
 
“I hope time in my class improves students’ understanding of the world, how to find a place where they can be successful, how to be curious, to play, experiment, fail and try again, to communicate visually, to make connections that can only be made through visual arts, and for my students to feel important and special.”
 
Liz Thomsen
 
Thomsen has led art classes in Nebraska since 2012 and has been with LPS since 2017. She said it is exciting to help students discover and use their artistic talents.
 
“I love how each day and class period is different!” Thomsen said. “I never get bored teaching art, and I love to empower my students to be artists, creative thinkers and curious learners.”

 
Thomsen brought a treasure trove of teaching knowledge with her when she arrived at LPS. That expertise made a valuable impact during the coronavirus pandemic, as she used many online tools to lead students in a remote learning program.
 
“During that time, Liz was instrumental in helping students learn different processes and techniques about artists and historical context,” Rice said. “She still continues that today in her Lux classroom, and what has happened is that it creates an opportunity for students to derive the learning with the guidance of the teacher.”
 
Thomsen earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University in 2010 and a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2019. Her first role at LPS was at Yankee Hill Education Center, where she developed multiple art-based courses. She began teaching at Lux after helping young artists in the remote learning program.
 
Thomsen said it is important to make students feel welcomed and appreciated every time they pick up a pencil or paintbrush.
 
“I want my class to be the highlight of their day,” Thomsen said. “I want them to walk away from my class with encouragement in their artmaking skills and empowerment with their creative thinking skills. I tell my students that I want all of them to have a middle school art experience where they feel successful and have made progress on their own individual art skills.”
 
Rice said Thomsen and Gabelhouse are using their Rembrandt-level talents to help students become the top artists of tomorrow. She said both are showcasing how art can make a life-changing difference for people.
 
“We want to bring that to the art classroom and share that with the rest of the world,” Rice said. “These two teachers are highlighting that in great ways.”

Learn more about our visual art curriculum on our website at https://home.lps.org/art/.
 
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