Art education has always been an integral part of The New Century School‘s approach to educating “the whole child.” For the 2024–2025 school year, TNCS welcomes Adriana Boucher, whose path to becoming an art teacher began in Jamaica, where she was born and raised. In 2015, at age 20, she made the pivotal decision to move to New York. Though her initial plan was simply to complete her college education while helping her mother out with her new baby brother and return home, life had other plans for her.

Her academic journey started at Kingsborough Community College, where she began working as a camp counselor and aftercare counselor. Coming from a family of teachers, education was in her blood, although she initially resisted following that path. Instead, she chose to pursue art, believing that mastering various mediums would make her a more versatile instructor. “I want to be able to teach my students everything, not just what the school says, such as you have to stick with drawing, or you have to stick with painting,” she explains. This led her to Brooklyn College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in art, graduating during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After graduation, Ms. Boucher began teaching at Success Academy in New York, where she started developing her unique teaching philosophy. She discovered that creating museum-style displays of student work not only showcased their achievements but also built their confidence. “When you’re working on something, like in life, when you’re so close to something and so focused on having something done, you don’t realize how much progress you’ve made until it’s finished and you’ve stepped back from it,” she reflects.

Now teaching at TNCS, Ms. Boucher works with students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Her classes meet twice weekly, where she implements a structured yet nurturing approach to art education. She begins with fundamental concepts—her first quarter focuses on the basics of line and shading before progressing to more complex projects like portraiture.

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She conducts “art walks” during which students present and discuss their work, fostering an environment of constructive criticism and peer feedback. She’s particularly mindful of students who start her class feeling intimidated: “I know art can be intimidating… there are kids who on the first day told me ‘I don’t like art, I don’t want to be in here,’ and I said, ‘Well, since we have to be in here, like I was with physics—I hated it but I had to do it—we’re going to do our best.'” She made the conscious decision to use the same art materials as her students, believing this demonstrates fairness and shows that success comes from skill and effort, not superior supplies.

Despite a challenging 1-hour commute each way from Westminster, Ms. Boucher finds fulfillment in her role. “Someone sent me an article about loving what you do—it doesn’t matter how far you have to go or how much you get paid to do it, you will do it, and you will love it,” she shares. Family members have questioned her commitment to the commute, but Adriana’s response was simple: “I do it because I love it.”

She continues her professional development through required certifications and maintains her passion for art education. Her teaching methodology emphasizes process over product, helping students build confidence while learning time management skills. “I try to encourage them to not focus on how the final product will look while they’re doing it, just focus on the parts of it that they are working on,” she says. She maintains a clear grading system that focuses on effort and participation, believing that every student can succeed in art with the right encouragement and instruction: “It does not need to be perfect. I just need to know if you follow the instructions, I see you put effort in it, and your work is nice and clean and presentable.”

What started as a temporary move to New York has transformed into a meaningful career in art education. As she reflects on her journey, Ms. Boucher notes with amazement, “I cannot believe that from being a camp counselor in 2015, I am still in the schools… and I have no thought of leaving, of not teaching, of not being here. I love seeing kids just be surprised at what they can do.” Through her journey from Jamaica to New York and finally to Maryland, Ms. Boucher has developed a teaching style that combines rigorous instruction with compassionate understanding. Her story demonstrates how following one’s passion—even when it takes unexpected turns—can lead to a fulfilling professional life that positively impacts future generations.