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  I teach Art here at TJHS. I graduated from Texas State University with a  Bachelors in Fine Arts. My teaching experience spans the last 14 years all around the United States and overseas. As a military spouse, Jeri has had the opportunity to teach K-12 in Lakenheath, England, San Antonio, TX, Bentonville, AR, Plano, TX and of course Dallas, TX. In addition, experience as a docent for Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, AR and Montgomery Museum of Modern Art have heightened my engagement with Art exploration. Students have won various awards including, TAEA Youth Art Month Regional Competition, TAEA Youth Art Month State Competition Contest, VASE Regional Competition, VASE State Level Competition, VASE Gold Seal Awards. I believe classrooms need to be learner focused. Students need to have the opportunity to be problem solvers. Using visual thinking strategies to make students aware of their environment and experiences in life add to their educational growth.

I teach art here at TJ. I attended University of Texas at Arlington-2013 and received my Bachelor of Arts-Painting/Art History. I worked for Richard Brooks Fabrics as a Fashion designer/Stylist before coming here to TJ. My classroom is a studio environment. We take an active, hands-on approach of using art with a sublimation mindset.

Laura Hanel combines life, imagination, passion, and artistic expertise to create art as well as inspire the youth of Thomas Jefferson High School. In 2008, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts Studies from UNT and recently, in 2016, graduated with her Masters in Art Education from Boston University. She is currently in her fifth year of teaching a population of students with a high percentage of English Language Learners. She believes her passion for art and teaching will enable her students to communicate visually what words cannot yet say for them. Laura was voted Content teacher of the year for three years and was voted campus wide Teacher of the Year in 2018. She was also invited by 29 Pieces and UNT to participate and be one of the founding teachers of a project called Dallas Teachers Speak where teachers express why they teach and what they need. This project was put on exhibit at numerous places including the State Capital, downtown Dallas, and at the DISD headquarters. Her passion drives her daily to find new and innovative ways to connect students with their communities, working artist, their peers, and the world around them. With art, students can express, individualize, explore, interpret, create change, foster hope, and navigate more clearly towards a successful future.