My name is Holly Ellis and I am just completing my 14th year teaching art! Currently I teach 5th & 6th grade art at Oakcrest Intermediate School in the Tomball Independent School District. In 2014 I was elected A+ TEACHER of the year at Timber Creek Elementary! When I am not at Oakcrest, I am at home taking care of my husband, Mark, my 2 kids: Duke & Ivy and my puppy dog, Lox! We stay very busy with creative projects and spending time with our families!

As a child, I knew right away I wanted to be an artist. My creative roots run very deep in my family. Therefore, I have many people in my life that I am thankful for and hold responsible for my interest and passion in the arts. Growing up, I was very privileged to be raised in a creative household with a father who was a Principal Lead Civil / Structural Designer. He has been designing and building Petrochemical Refineries since the mid 70’s. My mother was always very crafty, and there was no doubt that every holiday my teachers would get homemade gifts. My grandpa’s brother, (my great uncle), Eugene Aubry was a famous Houston architect. He designed The Wortham Theater Center downtown, and worked side by side with famous modern artist, Mark Rothko, to design the Rothko Chapel in the Museum District. My grandpa and father built the first benches made of Cyprus that reside inside the Byzantine Fresco Chapel and The Rothko Chapel still today. I actually have the privilege of owning one that sits in my bedroom! I have been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I never left the house without my sketchbook!

When I was in 1st grade at Lamkin Elementary, I won 1st place on my Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Drawing titled “Me at the Rodeo”! I knew right then that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. When I attended Cy-Fair High School, I continued my interest in art, and took Art 1-4, and also attempted to dabble in my dad’s career by enrolling in 4 years of drafting. Illustration was my strong point; I won 1st place in state competitions for my illustrations of landscapes and residential/business floor plans. When I went off to college, I chose Blinn College because it was close to home, but still far enough away. Unfortunately, Blinn did not have an art department, so I pursued another creative route with dance and was on the Blinn Treasures Dance Team for two years then headed to the river in San Marcos for my journey in computer arts! 3 years later, I graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design with a minor in Studio Art Printmaking.

After college graduation I had 6 Graphic Design jobs, ranging from promotional products, car dealership mailers all the way to casino slot machine graphics and logo design. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from great designers but still felt like a piece of me was missing. I wanted to get on my feet, get messy and have fun making art my way. One day I asked myself…could I teach children about art? It had been over 20 years and I could still smell the elementary art room. I just couldn’t resist! I immediately signed up for Alternative Certification, and 6 months later, I was awarded the job of K-5 Art Teacher at Francone Elementary in the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District.

At Francone I worked with many students who needed art in their lives. In my 3 years there, not only was I an art teacher for over 1,000 kids, but I also became a mentor to many. It was such a blessing to work at Francone because it taught me a lot about patience and the “love languages of children”. The students at Francone even inspired me to write and illustrate a children’s book about Art Supply Safety to educate classroom rules in a fun visual way!

After 3 years at Francone, I was hired at Timber Creek Elementary in Tomball Independent School District. I had the opportunity to open a brand new school and put my personal mark on the art room, which was an experience I will never forget and will be hard to raise the bar to. Timber Creek was an amazing place to work. Not only was I again rewarded with great students and parent support, but also a great staff who I can consider family, who were fun, and trusted my creativity! I was also awarded A+ Teacher of the Year in 2014!

Today, I am teaching 5th and 6th grade art at Oakcrest Intermediate! Once again I had the privilege to open another school, and it has been a wonderful and rewarding experience! I teach two grade levels that I just love and most of all, feel I really reach those students who are true artists. They have even taught me a thing or two! I look forward to many more years working side by side with these talented students! I also recently took a new step towards bettering my education and just completed my Masters Degree. I now hold a Masters of Science degree in Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology.

In closing, I have had a lot happen in my life and have a lot of people that have influenced my life to bring me to where I am today. But I have to say that the most important people I should recognize for my success are all the amazing children I get to teach everyday. These special artists who think outside the box, work hard everyday, and most of all, remind me of ME. And that, I feel is the most amazing reward in being a teacher!