Jessica Bouchard

The New Hampshire Art Educators Association and its awards committee recently announced that Milford High School educator Jessica Bouchard has been named New Hampshire Art Educator of the Year for the 2021-22 school year.

As the recipient of the NHAEA High School Division Award, Bouchard’s portfolio was selected from among the other Division awardees to receive the highest state award, in honor of all she has done to enrich visual arts education.

Bouchard’s many years of teaching at the middle and high school levels show her dedication to her students, school community and statewide art programs. She has served on the board of directors for both the NHAEA and the New Hampshire Scholastic Art Awards, and has worked with students on such community projects as Empty Bowls, school exhibitions and STEAM events.

In the classroom, Bouchard brings her passion for teaching and learning in the visual arts by combining the details of her own artistic process with an intellectual rigor that incorporates deep understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the arts and creativity. Her colleague, Beth Haverkamp Powers, said, “Jess Bouchard is both passionate about teaching and scholarship, and a lifelong learner in the fields of art and curriculum. She is humane and encouraging in the face of shifting educational sands, and she is motivated to keep focus on the dangers of apathy in the modern world. Jessica Bouchard stands out as an unwavering professional.”

Bouchard will be honored at the NHAEA Fall Conference virtual presentation on Oct. 22. She also will represent New Hampshire as this year’s award recipient for New Hampshire at the National Art Education Association Conference in March 2022. In addition, Bouchard will be honored at the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards (EDies) in June.