Michele Borne is an artist and an art teacher with Hillsborough County Public Schools. She currently teaches art at Pinecrest Elementary School in Lithia and Dover Elementary School in Dover. Borne has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University. Her major is in painting and drawing. She also has a master’s degree in education with a major in international teaching.
Borne has been able to use her talent, education and experience in sharing art with her students.
Borne led her students in the creation of a unique chalk art design that was on display at Pinecrest Elementary.
Borne explained, “At Pinecrest Elementary, we kick off our Start with Hello campaign from the Sandy Hook Promise to bring students together by writing positive affirmations on our sidewalks. Our campaign coincided with our Hispanic Heritage celebration, so that is how I came up with the idea of the chalk drawing (shown below).”
This is Borne’s fifth year of teaching art in Hillsborough County.
Borne said, “In this short time, I have taught at six different schools since art is a shared position and also since recent changes in the district. Regardless of all the changes, I have been blessed to have a very supportive administration in every school. They realize how important art is in the development of children.”
The role of teacher does not leave much room for Borne to concentrate on her own art. However, she did create two murals. One was at a public library in Honduras, where she taught at an American school for several years.
The other is at Carver Exceptional School in Tampa. According to Borne, this one took over 50 hours to paint.
Borne said, “Students at Carver have emotional and behavior disorders. The fact that they were able to see me paint served as a means for us to connect.”
Borne added, “The great thing about creating art in public places is that everyone shares the experience. That is precisely why I always make sure to display students’ artwork. I always make sure students are aware that I am proud of their artistic abilities.”
Borne said, “The art room is a place for exploration where everybody is successful. We are all able to create something beautiful out of nothing. Art is truly magical.”
