Alex Labarr

  New art teacher, Alex LaBarr, is already receiving great praise about her classes and how she personalizes her assignments for her students’ interest. After being introduced to this job opening by former art teacher Elizabeth McGinnis, LaBarr was excited to jump at the opportunity to work with high schoolers again. 

  LaBarr feels confident about coming to a new school thanks to her previous experience in teaching. She was a teacher at two elementary schools in Orange County for five years, and a long term substitute at a Henrico middle school for almost half a year. 

  She graduated from VCU with a studio degree, an education degree, and an art history minor.

She mostly enjoyed her studio classes and took a lot of ceramic classes.

 “I think my favorite studio class was probably the one that was just throwing on the wheel,” LaBarr said. “That was something I had never done before, until I got to college.”

LaBarr was inspired to pursue art as a career from her photography teacher in high school.

  “Our teacher took us on these trips to experience a really famous art place,” LaBarr said, LaBarr said, “and I was like ‘I wanna just do this as a career.’

  To help more students become interested in art, LaBarr wants to develop more opportunities for students to have control over what they want to create. Her goal is for students to explore their own artistic styles during class and help them find what they are interested in. 

  Ceramics students enjoy being in class with LaBarr because she really listens to them.

   “She lets us be ourselves while giving leeway with certain projects and work,” student Shelby Killinger said.