She has only been teaching art for a few months, but Venice Elementary School teacher Heather Young pulls from more than 20 years of experience as a classroom gifted teacher as she helps hundreds of students get their hands dirty and be creative.

Her two decades of experience are paying off. On Wednesday the Education Foundation of Sarasota County announced that Young was the 2020 Sarasota County School District Teacher of the Year.

Young, who was declared the district’s top teacher during a Wednesday morning luncheon at the Westin Sarasota, said she wants to use her new platform to advocate for the value of arts education, especially as academic standards have become increasingly rigorous.

“The curriculum has gotten so intense for kids, so I just feel like they need a time in their day when they can come and just be allowed to be creative,” Young said. “They have it in them. They are amazing, and I just get out of their way.”

Young has loved the transition from an academic classroom to an art room, and she said she was initially motivated to make the switch because of how excited her students would get when they had the opportunity to make something.

“I’ve had kids say, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever done something I’m proud of,’” she said.

Young was one of three finalists, including Venice High School career and technical education teacher Josh Grant and Sarasota Military Academy Prep School math teacher Marissa Dobbert.