By Sally Miskavige, Grand Forks Children’s Museum Board Member
On behalf of the board of directors, I am so pleased to announce that the Grand Forks Children's Museum has hired its first employee, Sheila Renae Dalgliesh. Many in our community know Sheila for her artistic talents and her extensive work with the youth in our community.
From her resume, “For 16 years, Sheila has served as a teacher at Grand Forks Public Schools, in the Artwise- Artist in the Classroom program. In this role, Sheila has taught thousands of elementary students in classrooms, art camps, and workshops over the last 20 years. Sheila often incorporates her love of the North Dakota landscape in her visual art curricula. Sheila also served as President of Artwise, a non-profit organization that provides visual art education to elementary students in Grand Forks. In this role, she works to fuel the creativity of Grand Forks’ youth through community programs and visual art educational experiences. For example, Sheila developed a new program, the Take N Make Project, which provides art supplies and art-making experiences that children can do at home. This program has sparked creativity in youth by serving over 700 families monthly. Sheila can be found painting in her studio or outside in all seasons, and she especially delights in the winter landscape.”
What has impressed me most (aside from Sheila’s obvious artistic talents) is her dedication and willingness to improve the lives of the children in our community. Sheila stated, “I love fostering a love of learning, problem solving, and exploration through art in the area's kiddos”. Clearly, her work in our community reflects that commitment to children and their education.
The board and I also fully appreciate Sheila’s willingness to take on new tasks with a positive and infectious attitude. Sheila strives to be inclusive to create positive teamwork and clearly her hard work serves as inspiration to her co-workers. I appreciate and admire Sheila’s dedication to the arts, but more importantly her dedication to improving the artistic opportunities for our community’s youth.
As our first official employee, Sheila has already set a high standard. The day after we unofficially hired Sheila, she was at work at one of our volunteer expos at UND, followed the next day with volunteerism at the golf outing that benefited the children’s museum. Thank you, Sheila, you are an inspiration.
Some have described Sheila as a ‘force of nature’. I couldn’t agree more. We are so very lucky to have Sheila on board at the Grand Forks Children’s Museum. Congratulations and welcome, Sheila.
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