Barbara Allen, this year's Illinois Teacher of the Year, teaches studio arts and art appreciation to grades nine through twelve at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg. In an effort to create a forum for the celebration and preservation of student art works, Mrs. Allen created the Permanent Art Collection of Harrisburg High School. "I felt a need to keep and treasure the work of my students," says Mrs. Allen, who rallied members of the community, local businesses, students and faculty as project sponsors. The collection, which today numbers 43 individual works, is displayed in its entirety as part of the school's Christmas festivities. Mrs. Allen has also been an active participant on the school's race-relations board, whose strategies have helped to improve the school climate.
