DeDecker earns state's top art administrator honor

Terri DeDecker, fine arts coordinator in Elgin Area District U-46, has been named Art Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Art Education Association.

The annual award recognizes the exemplary contributions, service and achievements of one member of the association, a news release said. DeDecker will receive the award during the association's conference Nov. 11 in Normal. The organization has been serving students and art educators across Illinois for more than 60 years.

DeDecker, who has served as the district's fine arts coordinator since 2004, has taught visual art for 20 years at all levels.

“I am very thrilled and honored by this award, no doubt about it,” DeDecker said. “It gives me the impetus and inspiration to continue to spread the word of the importance of art in a child's education.”

Prior to her administrative role in U-46, DeDecker spent 15 years in the classroom at West Chicago, Sycamore and St. Charles schools.

In addition to her work in the classroom, DeDecker has developed partnerships with local organizations such as the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the First Community Bank, Gail Borden Library and Elgin Community College, which have led to numerous student and teacher art exhibits in the community.

The association, in a news release, said DeDecker “was selected on the basis of her outstanding commitment to visual art education, as well as her wider contributions in the Northeastern Illinois region.”