Amy Miner Leaving YAA For Return To YSD

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net

After a year with Yankton Area Arts (YAA), Amy Miner, who served as executive director, has decided to pursue what she calls her biggest passion in life — teaching.
However, after her last year with YAA, she is moving back to being a teacher at Yankton School District, where she previously taught.
Miner started teaching in 1991, and taught at YSD in both the middle and high school from 1993-2004. She left her position in 2004 to teach in Hawaii while enrolled in a degree program there. She taught in Hawaii from 2004-11, before returning to Yankton to work for YAA.
“During her short stay as the executive director of YAA, Amy made quite an impact,” said Craig Sherman, YAA’s assistant director. “Her enthusiasm for the job was evident in everything she did.”
Miner said she thoroughly enjoyed her tenure at YAA.
“It’s been awesome working here for the last year,” she said. “It’s a great organization. When I started, I was not aware of the impact that YAA has in the community here.”
Sherman added that Miner will have a lasting impact on YAA.
“She brought in special presenters and performers for the First Friday events when there was no exhibit opening,” he said. “She also expanded the Art in Healing programs by adding classes for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.”
Sherman noted that Miner also arranged for all consignment sales at YAA, and for its Crimson Door sales to be handled electronically through a computer. He also said Miner had a big impact in expanding  the membership base to include those in their 20s and 30s.
“In my year here, I hope that we have strengthened those connections already established as well as built new ones for the future,” Miner said. “I’m proud of the work YAA does for the people in the community of every age and background.”
She added there are a lot of positive things going on at YAA right now and the organization is continues to move forward in a “explosively positive” direction.
“The YAA board is very energized. We have some cool events coming up and have made some strong connections with the community that I think will make a difference in a positive way as YAA continues to grow,” she said.
Miner added that her work as executive director has included a lot of management — managing the budget, managing people, managing time and managing events. However, she noted that she is particularly proud of the Art in Healing program.
“The program got started in conjunction with Avera Sacred Heart and we provide free classes for cancer patients and survivors all year long,” she said. “There are a huge range of classes available that professional artists voluntarily teach.”
Miner said that Avera provides all the supplies needed for each class, which has been a big help to YAA.
“I’ve been physically present and witnessed the difference that this program makes for people in a time of need, and I’m very proud of it and hope it’s something that will continue,” she said.
Another project she has been proud to be a part of has been the “Before I Die” wall at Meridian Bridge. The wall allows visitors to write what they would like to do before they pass away. She noted it has been very popular and YAA members must erase the wall completely about every other day.
However, despite her successes at YAA, she says she is excited to move back to YSD as a teacher at Yankton High School (YHS).
“I think by nature I’m a teacher,” she said. “One of my strengths at YAA has been having educational programs and an education outreach.”
Miner is both an alumni of YSD as a teacher and a student (YHS class of 1984).
“I’m immensely proud of Yankton’s education system, both as a student and a teacher,” she said. “It’s a real honor to have a chance to go back into the classroom, having had some of the educational adventures I’ve had over the last seven or eight years.”
Sherman thinks YHS is getting an extremely gifted teacher for the new school year.
“As a former colleague of hers at YHS, I know they are extremely fortunate to have her back on the staff and, although I regret her leaving YAA after such a short time with us, I wish her the best since I know teaching is her life’s passion,” he said.
One of the things that Miner loves so much about teaching is the possibilities students have while in school, and their potentials for the future.
“Kids are just discovering their voices and possibilities in school, and to be present and encourage them as they make incredible discoveries about what they’re capable of is the coolest job in the world for me,” she said.
Miner will be teaching drama and language arts at YHS.
“I taught an introduction to theater class in Hawaii, and figured out I was teaching drama all wrong,” she said. “I’ll be teaching drama backwards at YSD in some peoples’ opinions, we will start with a huge production and work our way down to the fine points.”
She believes this approach will be beneficial to students enrolled in the class.
“Not all students that take a drama course want to be actors — some want to be writers, stage managers or scenic designers and so on,” Miner said. “By starting with a collective experience and working backwards it will allow kids to isolate what they love about the theater and what they want to pursue.”
In addition to teaching the drama course, Miner will also be teaching freshman grammar and sophomore composition. She believes she will be able to make the dreaded freshman grammar course fun for students.
“My goal is to make freshman grammar a completely hands-on, interactive lab experience,” she said. “I can give you a worksheet that says identify the nouns, or I can make a game where it’s your team against another and the first team that runs out on the gym floor and finds all the nouns wins something.”
She thinks this approach, when there is something at stake and some pressure is fun for students and they will really enjoy it. However, despite her previous teaching experience at YSD, there are still thinks she is nervous about.
“There is a lot of new technology at YHS, including smart boards, that I don’t know much about and will need to learn or re-learn,” she said.
One thing she is looking forward to is seeing how her job at YAA blends with her new position at YHS.
“The advantage to the job I had at YAA is that I had some say over what project we tackle next and how we approach it,” Miner said. “That’s true to some degree in a classroom, but there are standards that must be addressed that you need to think about on a daily basis.”
She added that she the new Common Core standards will not change her approach to management as a teacher, but it is something she will have to think about during her lessons.
“I can do lots of things, and enjoy doing lots of things, but I get the greatest joy in having my own classroom and this job at YSD is the best of both worlds with both art and education,” Miner said. “I have such optimism about the possibilities in kids.”
Mostly, she is happy to continue contributing to the community.
“I love this town and I am just thrilled to be back in the classroom.”

Follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal