Congratulations Katie McMillan and Norman Chow!

Nominated by their colleague Emily Saleh, “These two [South Brunswick High School] educators put together a virtual art show for their high school students this year that set the bar high. Their stories of driving to students’ homes to drop off equipment is a sneak peek into how dedicated and passionate they are.”  

Katie McMillan Bio:

“I am currently in my 16th year of teaching art and design. After attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, I received my teaching certificate from Ramapo College and finally earned my Masters in Counseling from Rider University. I started teaching at Trenton Central High School, West Campus in 2005. I continued my teaching career at South Brunswick High School in 2008. SBHS has a special place in my heart as both my parents taught at SBHS, I am an SBHS graduate and it is the school where I completed my student teaching. Norman Chow and I started at SBHS together and it has been such a pleasure to work and grow with him as an artist and teacher.

I enjoy all forms of art, my passion lies with graphic design. I really enjoy discussing art with my students, brainstorming, sketching and then watching their art evolve and flourish. Last year, my students continually impressed me by overcoming the barriers posed by zoom and online learning in order to find their artistic passion and hone their skills. It is great to be back in the classroom with the students and have available media, as well as easy and natural conversation, on a daily basis.”

Norman Chow Bio:

“I always wanted to make a difference. I was a psychology major at university but realized during my senior year it was not something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. After confiding with one of my professors, she said, “You’re passionate about art, you want to make a difference in people’s lives, go be an art teacher.” The rest is history. I finished university with a degree in psychology and attended graduate school for my Masters in Art Education. 

Landing my job at South Brunswick school district was a bit of fate since I was visiting my former high school teachers and by chance they had created a new art teacher position. I had my resume, my art portfolio, and my teaching portfolio, and interviewed on the spot. I was hired along with Kathleen McMillan who is also an Alumna from the school district. We have been working together for the past 14 years and have been working collaboratively and inspiring one another to draw the best out of our students.”