LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

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Amy Seiber

Position: Art Teacher
School: Hayden High School
School District: Blount County Schools
City, State: Hayden, AL

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Music that Describes Amy

Amy Seiber was nominated by her colleague, Amanda Faulkner-Barrett.

Ms. Seiber sees what is invisible to most people. She see the students other teachers overlook. She sees beauty in the ordinary. Ms. Seiber sees the possibilities in everyone and everything. 

She started the art program at Hayden High School, where she has taught for twenty-three years. In that time, she has developed an AP Art program where her students have gone on to become graphic designers, fine artists, art therapists, and university art professors.

"Amy has even encouraged me to switch from English to art and take over the program when she retires, so she can expand it countywide," said Faulkner-Barrett. "She has already garnered support from the board of education, who now host annual art shows featuring student art from across the county, and she has led summer art workshops for students without art teachers, bringing in local artists like Andy Jordan of Birmingham and UAB art professor Doug Baulos." 

Ms. Seiber exposes students to a world outside their small town and the tiny confines of what they believe they can become. She has led numerous international tours to France, Spain, Austria, England, and Italy to help students lead fearless and adventurously. She has taken them to see masterpieces and the cultures from which they come first hand. 

The most profound impact Ms. Seiber has had, however, is the way she helps everyone develop a bigger vision for themselves. Her favorite response to, “I can’t even draw a stick figure,” is “Draw something else.” Her sweet spirit and nurturing patience help people feel like they have more to offer.

"I’ve seen her teach students everyone else has written off to love art and find a place to have a voice and belong," said Faulkner-Barrett. "She is a LifeChanger because she has dedicated her life to helping others create the world they want to live in and see that they can succeed."

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Comments (1)

Caleb Burnett Posted over a year ago

Mrs. Seiber is more just a life changer. She is a mind molder. She has worked to create the only art program in our county, and has given tons of students over the years the opportunity to express themselves through art, design, and photography. I have been a student of hers for 3 years now. Before I took her class I did not believe that I could draw, paint, or sculpt. She recognizes this in many of her students, and makes it her goal to not just teach you the technicalities of art, but to teach you how art can allow you to express your thoughts, emotions, and your individuality. It is because of her dedication to that goal that I am not just an AP art student now, but also feel that I ,with out her class, would have never been able experience the plethora of culture that I have experienced from her teaching. It is because of her love of helping others experience the world, that I was able to travel to Europe with her in 2015, and open my mind to a world of experiences. It is because of her love for yoga, and her willingness to share it with others, that she has been able to give her students the great opportunity to try a great form of alternative exercise. This is a reoccurring theme with Amy Seiber. She is always interested in improving the skills of her art students, but will always take an interest in finding new ways to open the minds of her students. Whether that is through the trips she organizes around the world, or something as casual as an after school conversation. When I ask myself what Mrs.Seiber is, I say things like artist, teacher, mentor, yoga enthusiast, and a life changer, but she is something even more impactful than that: a true friend.