About Mrs. Torres

You can’t be smart without ART!

2024-2025 will be my 22nd year of teaching & my 14th year at University Park Elementary.  I love igniting the imaginations and bringing out the creativity in my students.  I enjoy downtown living with my husband, Saul, and when I'm not teaching at UP I enjoy traveling, making art, going to movies, playing with my dog Diego, and hosting art events at our studio -- Cedars Art House.  I am also the proud mom of 2 sons and a proud grandmother (JiJi) to a beautiful, active three year old named Juniper.  
  

I graduated with a BFA in Visual Art Studies from the University of North Texas and acquired a Master of Arts in Art Education from Texas Woman's University. Prior to returning to the classroom in 2003, I worked in the non-profits arts education sector and directed a local children's art festival in participation with The Kennedy Center.

I believe that every child (and adult!) has innate artistic abilities and an intrinsic desire to create and communicate.  My job as an art educator is to give students tools & techniques to successfully solve problems and to convey their ideas visually.  Through the art-making process students gain self-esteem, self-awareness, empathy for others, and the ability to positively explore their own thoughts and feelings.

 

"Creativity takes courage." -- Henri Matisse