By Becca Persinger

Jacquie Sloan has been involved in education since she began her teaching career many years ago in St. Louis. She moved to St. Louis in order to find a job in the Graphic Design field after graduating from the University of Southern Indiana in 1995, which proved to be very difficult due to the competitiveness of the field.

Sloan began to sub around the St. Louis area from 1996 until 1997, and discovered that she enjoyed working with children. As a result of this, her teaching career was thrown into overdrive, and Sloan found herself employed as a teacher’s aid in an alternative school in Albion from 1998 to 1999.

After returning to the school from which she graduated, Sloan quickly earned a certificate in teaching and an endorsement in Special Education in order to achieve the teacher status she craved. She graduated for the second time from USI in 2001.

With her teaching degree in hand, a big opportunity arose for the aspiring art teacher. Sloan was asked to teach at the school she had once attended growing up as a child in her hometown of Grayville, IL. She began her teaching career at the elementary school in Grayville in 2001, and she originally started teaching an art class and special education.

“Seeing children realize they have a unique talent is what drives me when teaching,” said Sloan, “Art teaches kids to unleash their imaginations, and discover a new source of self confidence.”

As a child, Sloan was extremely shy, but after signing up for the junior high art class, her teacher, Nancy Munsey gave her the encouragement she needed, and helped her build up self-confidence and finally break her free of her shell. She had classes with Muncey from the time she was in junior high until she graduated high school. During that time, the lesson that stuck with Sloan the most was when she was assigned to paint a portrait of whomever she wanted to, and out of the whole school, she chose her sister, Jody Hanisch.

Now, Hanisch spends her time living her dream as a children’s author. Her first book is about a young daydreamer looking up into the clouds from beneath the shade of a weeping willow tree, and the book was finished over the summer, but to perfect the work, Hanisch asked Sloan to illustrate her book.

“I have always wanted to illustrate a children’s book,” said Sloan, “The fact that my sister has asked me to work for her was a dream come true, and I hope that this kickstarts my career as an illustrator.”

Even out of the classroom, Sloan sees people uncovering the love of the skill she treasures through her own daughters, four year old Mya and 7 year old Jayden. The girls learned from their mother the basics of art, and they have decided on their own that they both thoroughly enjoy painting and drawing.

“Art makes a person able to use their own personal style when completing a project unlike in other classes such as math and english,” said Sloan, “As an apprentice in art, you are able to expand upon the basics of art, and make it your own.”

       Sloan stated that her favorite form of art is drawing and using watercolors, though she has an array of skills.

In 2004, Sloan had met her husband, Flora High School graduate and Wolves lineman Vance Sloan, and the two married.

Moving from Grayville to Flora, Sloan has been teaching in the Flora district for six years now, though the 2013-2014 school year is Sloan’s first year at FHS. Along with the high school, she teaches at Lincoln and Xenia schools, so needless to say, Sloan stays incredibly busy.

“My FHS Art Class is currently working on painting props for a local elementary school’s Christmas program,” said Sloan, “We are working alongside the FHS Woodworking Class, and we hope to continue cooperating with other classes for years to come.”

In the near future, the FHS Art Class will be creating sculptures based upon multiple famous artist’s works. The students will be challenged to closely follow the style of the artist they choose. Sloan hopes that the works of art will be displayed in the school for the enjoyment of other students.

       “By the time I retire, I would love to see every art class that is offered at the high school completely full,” said Sloan, “But for now, I am focusing on having a nice year with my students, and hopefully, sparking an interest in art in other kids as well.”