My name is Katelyn Travis—I am a teaching artist, sustainable fashion designer, and am currently finishing my service year as an ArtistYear Resident Teaching Artist in Denver, CO. I have 13 years of sewing experience, which I use to create clothing out of sustainably sourced materials.
After graduating college in 2023 and learning about ArtistYear, I felt excited at the possibility of continuing to improve my design skills while simultaneously working to enhance art education in a Title 1-funded school. I was thrilled to be accepted into ArtistYear and somewhat unsure of what to expect, especially when I learned that I would primarily work with the Social-Emotional Learning Specialist rather than the visual arts teacher at Westgate Elementary. Little did I know, joining the Westgate Mental Health Team would become the single best thing to happen to me this year.
Throughout the school year, I co-taught more than 300 social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons alongside Westgate’s SEL Specialist. During SEL lessons, my co-teacher, Dave Hare, and I presented lessons on emotions, kindness, empathy, and other social-emotional concepts. After lessons, I led instruction for art-centric extension activities to let students demonstrate their learning and practice skills through artistic mediums.
In between teaching SEL lessons, I assisted Vanessa Leccisso, Westgate’s Restorative Practice Liaison, with responding to behavioral incidents around the school and by providing students with a trauma-informed environment – the “Zen Den” – where they could practice regulating their emotions. In the Zen Den, we often utilized art therapy techniques with which students could express and process their feelings using visual mediums, such as drawing, painting, journaling, etc. A large portion of students at Westgate became regular Zen Den attendees; some would even proactively take a break from their classrooms during times of the day when they knew they needed to take time to process and decompress.
The Westgate student community consists of a beautifully diverse student population, in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, culture, and family structure. One of the most important things I have learned while serving is how deeply students in diverse communities can learn and practice empathy. For young students, it is important to understand empathy and kindness in theory, but it is invaluable to put those skills into practice every single day by working to understand others’ perspectives, lives, and experiences–especially for students with trauma, disabilities or learning differences. The ways in which these students were willing to form deep, meaningful relationships with friends who had very few similarities to themselves was admirable and beautiful. I am thankful everyday for the students who teach me, and inspire me to be a more empathetic, selfless person.
Teaching young students, ages kindergarten through 5th grade, can come with a unique set of challenges, but is incredibly rewarding. Students in this age range have abilities that change and improve drastically year-to-year, but I am constantly reminded of the ingrained talents and ability to create that exists in every student. They proudly express their senses of humor, energy, and love, and I am always smiling when collaborating with my wonderful Westgate crewmates. I aim to give students the skills to create, the drive to explore, and the determination to always be curious.
Between teaching lessons in every homeroom, seeing students in the Zen Den throughout the day, and actively collaborating with Westgate teachers to create supplemental art projects, I got to meet and learn about every single student at Westgate Elementary–I also was able to spend extra time cultivating relationships with students with trauma, disabilities, and/or behavioral difficulties. Through this experience, I learned so much about implementing mental health practices and mindfulness into the elementary curriculum. Being able to teach social-emotional skills and also enhance art education was the perfect intersection of my truest passions as a teaching artist. I am beyond amazed at the teaching experience I received while committing myself to hands-on service for the entirety of the year.
I’m ecstatic to continue serving the Westgate community as their visual arts teacher for the 2024-25 school year, and to build my art classroom in a way that incorporates trauma-informed practices. ArtistYear provided the opportunity to expand art education at Westgate and witness how trauma-informed learning environments benefit elementary students, especially in Title-1 funded schools. I look forward to creating these supportive spaces and building more trust with each student at Westgate (with the help of a brand new ArtistYear RTA).
I am endlessly grateful for my time as an ArtistYear Resident Teaching Artist. My advice to any Resident Teaching Artists currently serving or someone considering serving in the future is this: embrace every opportunity for service, reach out for help, and focus on establishing those meaningful connections with your community. Focus on the little things you accomplish each day, because there are always so many more than you think—from the bulletin displays to the thirty-second convos, your interactions are important and the students will remember you.
Most of all, remember this—thank you for everything you do! If you choose to dedicate a year of your life to service, you are already doing so much to help your community.
Katelyn Travis is originally from Seattle, WA and has loved fashion and design since the age of 11. Katelyn graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in child development. She is a fashion designer who uses sustainably sourced materials to create and sell pieces of clothing to benefit her community.