Denton ISD Announces Recipient of Mark and Barbara Smith Fine Arts Discovery Award

Denton ISD announced the recipient of the 2024-2025 Mark and Barbara Smith Fine Arts Discovery Award on Friday, April 11.

Amanda Nixon – who is in her second year as the Theater Director at Rodriguez Middle School – was selected as the winner of this year’s award, which is given annually to a fine arts educator in the district.

The Mark and Barbara Smith Fine Arts Discovery Award is funded through the Mark and Barbara Smith Endowment with the Denton Public School Foundation. Each recipient receives $2,500 to be used for professional development in fine arts.

The $2,500 awarded to Ms. Dixon will be used for her to attend the Educational Theater Association’s (EdTA) Theater Education Conference, a national conference created to support and inspire theater directors. While there, Ms. Nixon will extend her training on building theater programs, directing, curriculum planning and implementing various strategies to support more students in her program.

"I am so incredibly thankful to receive this award," Ms. Nixon said. "As an early theater teacher, I am very excited to get to meet other theater teachers and bring some of their ideas into my own classroom. Collaborating with other educators from across the nation will help my kids be even more excited to learn about theater." 

Ms. Nixon was selected for this award from a pool of applicants district-wide. A selection committee was formed that consisted of retired fine arts educators, administrators and community members who represent all of the Denton ISD zones and are familiar with the district’s fine arts program. The committee scored on a blind review process based on the application each candidate submitted.

“Ms. Nixon continues to do an excellent job as the theater director at Rodriguez Middle School,” said Eddy Russell, Director of Fine Arts. “She is incredibly deserving of this award, which will enable her to attend the Theater Education Conference this summer in Indianapolis. Many thanks to the Denton Public School Foundation (DPSF) and to Mark and Barbara Smith for sponsoring the Discovery Award and making this valuable professional development possible."