"I believe that if students are aesthetically literate, they will be able to fully function and participate in our culture, and make informed judgments about the visual information they encounter," says Dr. Michael McCarthy, teacher at William Lopez Elementary School in Fort Collins. Dr. McCarthy, who serves as chairperson of his school's site-based staff development team, is also the head art teacher for his school district. In this capacity, Dr. McCarthy is responsible for the planning and coordination of art events and for providing leadership and resources to art teachers throughout the area. As a member of a special teachers team composed of art, music and physical education educators at his school, Dr. McCarthy has worked on developing integrated instructional units to introduce students to a wealth of diverse arts and cultures from around the world. Since 2000, Dr. McCarthy has overseen an annual program called Empty Bowls to benefit the Larimer County Food Bank. Through this program, students fight hunger by creating ceramic bowls, which are then purchased at a community dinner, with all proceeds going to the local food bank distribution center. In 2006, Dr. McCarthy was named the City of Fort Collins United Way Volunteer of the Year for his food bank project.
