October 8, 2025
It had been a handful of months since Mounds Park Academy Middle and Upper School visual arts teacher Renee Sonka learned that she had been nominated for a prestigious honor—Art Educator of the Year.
“I received an email in July from the Art Educators of Minnesota saying I had been nominated (for Art Educator of the Year), and that I would need to submit a variety of application materials to be considered,” said Ms. Sonka. “So, I updated my resume for the first time in a LONG time—it is currently my 28th year at MPA—and I threw my hat in the ring.”
The venture to update her resume was worthwhile, resulting in Ms. Sonka’s selection as Art Educator of the Year at the Middle School Level. An educator at both the Upper and Middle School levels, Ms. Sonka, thrilled to be selected, thought the split might hamper rather than help.
“Since the award is specific to Middle School art, I thought the panel of judges might prefer a candidate who has specialized in Middle School only,” she said. “Now, I’m realizing the combination of my Middle School and Upper School teaching experience may have been to my advantage, perhaps showing breadth and versatility in my teaching.”
The selection is no surprise, said Middle School director Paul Errickson.
“We are thrilled to see Ms. Sonka honored with this prestigious award. She works tirelessly, every day, to create an inclusive and creative space for her students, and she has refined her craft of teaching to make it a space where Middle Schoolers can find their inner artist and a voice in their artwork,” Errickson said. “As a dreamer and a doer, Ms. Sonka epitomizes the MPA motto. Her creativity and love of teaching is surpassed only by her curiosity and ability to create an inclusive and welcoming space in her classroom.”
Ms. Sonka’s reputation, not only within the Mounds Park Academy community but around Minnesota, helped her to the honor. The executive board of the Art Educators of Minnesota judges the award, making the selection that much sweeter.
“Being acknowledged by these esteemed leaders in the profession is a high honor. The executive board knows the job of an art educator, the life of an art educator, the challenges, joys, and all,” Ms. Sonka said.
Mounds Park Academy’s relationship with the arts—making them a central part of our educational mission for students from PreK-12—proved to be a vital key in the cog that led to the Art Educator of the Year award.
“MPA has offered fertile ground for me to grow into my own as an art educator, and for that I am so very grateful,” she said. “There are many reasons the art department is strong at MPA, starting with our school’s commitment to the arts not as extra, but as integral. This value of the arts, paired with the autonomy afforded to teachers, has created conditions in which I have been able to build a program I’m deeply proud of.”
Ms. Sonka will be presented with her award during the AEM Fall Conference 2025 on November 7-8, hosted by the College of Saint Benedict. Congratulations to Ms. Sonka! We are so grateful to have great teachers like her in the Mounds Park Academy community.
