Breakfast & A Workshop | An AENJ Annual Event

Saturday, February 6th, 2021           

2021 Breakfast and a Workshop
Enjoy time with fellow New Jersey Art Educators eating breakfast* and participating in a creative, interactive workshop of your choice from our 2020 Division Award Winning presenters: Tenley Marshall Escoffery – Elementary, Whitney Ehnert – Middle, and Karen Kiick – Secondary.
We will meet virtually via Zoom on February 6, 2021 from 9:15-10:30.

Participants will receive:

  • 1 hour of Professional Development Certificate
  • Downloads of all 3 award winning presenter lessons!
  • All registered participants will be automatically entered to win a Dunkin Donuts Giftcard.
  • Networking opportunity and refueling of your creative juices.

This is an annual opportunity to learn from your fellow art educators!

*Due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements breakfast is not included, this is a BYOB (bring your own breaksfast) event. Please note that the cost of this event has been lowered from previous events due to bringing your own breakfast.


Breakfast & A Workshop | An AENJ Annual Event

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St., Middletown, NJ

Register HERE 

2019 Division Award winner workshops: Christopher Boehm (Elementary), Nicole Lawlor (Middle), Jennifer Braverman (Secondary)

Breakfast & A Workshop 2020

Charlene Anolik – 2019 Elementary School Division Award
Best Practice session: 

Charlene attended Boston University’s School of Fine and Applied Arts, studied Photography and filmmaking at the University of London in the UK, and holds a School District Leader certificate. As a child, she traveled to 25 countries on five continents, discovering the unique geology, art and cultures that enabled her to understand visual communication on a deeper level. She presently works in the Bergenfield Public School District where she has taught everything from Pre-K to AP Art History over the years. In addition to teaching art, Charlene started an art-literary magazine with middle-schoolers, Bear Tracks Art Literary Magazine. It earned a Gold Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the highest accolade bestowed upon a scholastic publication.

Barbara Russo – 2019 High School Division Award
Best Practice session: “COLOR WHEEL MANDALAS” 

Barbara teaches at Hightstown High School in East Windsor. She knew teaching was something that she wanted to do from a young age, but first and foremost she wanted to be an artist; she did not realize until later in life that she could do both! Barbara worked as an assistant teacher at the elementary, high school, and college levels while attending RISD. She explored several careers before teaching, all involving some form of art and design. She shares her experiences as well as her love and joy of art making and art history with her students today. In becoming a teacher, she has not only realized her true vocation, but also that it is rewarding and fulfilling in a myriad of ways. Barbara advocates for the arts by collaborating with teachers in other content areas as well as administrators and the community as a whole. For example, she has her students create beautiful murals for all who enter her school to enjoy. Outside of the classroom, Barbara advises the club Artists Union, which hosts a school-wide art show to encourage creativity and artistic confidence outside of an academic setting.

Megan Hawthorne – 2019 Middle Level Division Award
Best Practice session:  “ELEMENT STAR LANTERN” 

Megan teaches in Highland Park, NJ. Hired in 2006, she was the first solely MS art teacher in a small, but quickly growing town. Now entering her 14th year, Megan has since worked to expand the middle school art programs and curriculum with a teaching approach that revolves around building relationships with an emphasis on diversity and social emotional learning through art. This past January, she and her students participated in the Windows of Understanding project, a collaboration with Mason Gross School of the Arts, and the Arts Councils in both Highland Park and New Brunswick. Megan was named Teacher of the Year at her school in 2018. When she is not teaching, Megan can be found spending time with her two daughters dabbling in various creative projects around their home in Hamilton, NJ, sharing her talents and spreading her love of all things creative to those around her.

B&W’s Morning Schedule
Saturday, January 18, 2020

9 AM – 11:30 PM

$20 Members

$25 NON-Members – we encourage you to bring a colleague who is not currently an AENJ member!

9-9:30 Breakfast and Networking

9:30-11:30 Workshop – Choose one of the three lessons being presented to participate in