We're excited to welcome Brittany Gardner as our new Graphic Design and Visual Arts teacher at Garden Valley School District! Brittany brings valuable industry experience and creativity to our students. Here is a message from Brittany as she introduces herself to our students and families.

Greetings, Garden Valley! Some of you already know me, but if we haven't met yet, I'm Brittany Gardner, and I'm excited to be the new Graphic Design and Art teacher!

My husband and I have lived in Horseshoe Bend for the past five years and make the drive up to Garden Valley every week for church, where he's part of the worship team and I moonlight on the production team. We love this community and hope to call Garden Valley home one day. When I'm not working, you'll usually find me curled up on the couch with my cat, exploring Idaho's backroads with my husband, or hunting elk with my dad.

This will be my first-year teaching in the classroom, but investing in students of all ages has been part of my life for many years. While earning my degree in Religious Studies from Cal State Fullerton, I volunteered as a high school youth leader before moving to Boston to work with college students through a nonprofit, where I had the opportunity to mentor graphic designers. After moving to Idaho, I served in a dual role as a children's ministry director and web designer before starting my own digital marketing and web design business.

Building that business has allowed me to combine creativity with problem-solving every day. Whether I'm designing a website, creating a brand, or evaluating a marketing plan, I'm constantly using the same principles and elements of art that students will be learning in class.

One of the things I love most about art and design is that it's about so much more than making something look nice. It's about solving problems, communicating ideas, and helping people see things from a new perspective. My hope is that students leave my classroom not only with new artistic and design skills, but with the confidence to think creatively, tackle challenges, and see that creativity has a place in whatever path they choose.

I know I have some big shoes to fill, and I have a lot to learn. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this school and community, and I can't wait to get started.

I'm looking forward to a great year!