Lincoln Center, Department of Education Partner for New 'Lincoln Center Arts Teacher Award'

Lincoln Center Education has teamed up with the Department of Education's "Big Apple Awards" to honor an art teacher for making a difference in the lives of his/her students and for going above and beyond in their role as an arts educator. The Lincoln Center Arts Teacher Award is one of 11 honors given as part of these new DOE sponsored awards. Each Big Apple Teacher Award winner was granted $3,500 for use by the teacher in the classroom.

The first recipient of the Lincoln Center Art Teacher Award is Melissa Salguero of PS 48 in the Bronx. She teaches students in grades K-5, and is being recognized for bringing music back into the school which has not has a music program in 50 years. Salguero created a group called SongCorps, which is designed to reach out to at-risk 4th grade boys through music in partnership with the local Hunts Point Alliance for Children.

"Lincoln Center Education is honored to support the New York City Department of Education in celebrating excellence in the classroom with the first Lincoln Center Arts Teacher Award," says Russell Granet, Executive Director of Lincoln Center Education. "Every day all across the city, arts teachers inspire their students in extraordinary ways. Better learning through the arts is a core value at Lincoln Center; we are proud this award will recognize exceptional work in arts education and further enrich the classroom experience."

Lincoln Center Education (LCE) is the educational cornerstone of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Founded in 1975 as Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, LCE enriches the lives of students, educators and lifelong learners by providing opportunities for engagement with the highest-quality arts on the stage, in the classroom, digitally, and within the community. With over three decades of providing unparalleled school and community partnerships, professional development workshops, consulting services and its very own repertory, LCE's work has reached more than 20 million students, teachers, school administrators, parents, community members, teaching artists, pre-service teachers, university professors and artists in New York City, across the nation and around the world.