Graphic reads Elementary School Teacher Achievement Award Winner Julie Moore, School for the Creative and Performing Arts at Bluegrass (Fayette County) and shows Julie Moore smiling in a photoAs the science teacher at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts at Bluegrass (Fayette County), Julie Moore is a strong advocate for arts-integrated education as a part of a student’s success.

“I hope to promote rigorous and meaningful learning for students and forge strong connections within both the school and a large community,” she said.

Moore’s arts-integrated approach is seen in a unit that she teaches her 4th-graders called “Sensing Art.” The students use art and music to learn how human and animal brains process sensory information.

“Not only does research support that arts integration increases student engagement and achievement, but also that it can energize teachers by providing increased professional satisfaction,” she said. “I hope to promote rigorous and meaningful learning for students and forge strong connections within both the school and a large community.”

Moore is a subject material expert and has written professional development and online content for LEGO Education. She developed and taught the University of Kentucky’s Elementary LEGO robotics summer camp curriculum.

Moore also has worked on state and district development teams for curriculum maps and assessments.

Since starting her education career more than 15 years ago, Moore has received awards such as an Ashland Teacher Achievement Award in 2016 and Valvoline Teacher Achievement Award in 2023. She also was named the Outstanding Elementary Science Teacher for Kentucky in 2017 and received a 2023 Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award.

She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Roanoke College (Salem, Va.), a bachelor’s in elementary education from Midway College and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kentucky.

Moore makes sure to connect with her students, not just as a teacher, but as a fellow learner. By doing so, Moore says it teaches her students that learning is a continuous journey.

“If we want them to be life-long learners, they need to see us being life-long learners,” she said.