I am Allyson Winter, art teacher at Colham Ferry Elementary School since 2004. In the art room students learn art techniques, art history, and ways to express themselves through a variety of traditional media and technology. I make connections to language arts using books and written reflections and I am always looking for new ways to support our STEM initiative through our art projects. I have a passion for traveling and the outdoors and use those experiences to spark ideas for art lessons and to spend time with my husband and boy/ girl twins. I believe that visual arts education is essential to education as we learn ways to communicate visually, problem solve creative solutions, and to engage learning by manipulating materials and exploring cultures around the world.