In 2012, Mrs. Holly Hangauer was going to school at the University of Missouri Kansas City for art education when someone approached her about becoming a Waldorf teacher. She participated in a summer training program in the Waldorf approach and soon after answered an ad for a job in Cabo Matapalo, Costa Rica! After teaching in Costa Rica, Hangauer taught 1st-4th graders in Lawrence, Kansas at a Waldorf school and decided after a while it was time to pack up and move to Kansas City. That’s when she found an art teaching position at Horizon Academy!

Holly finds great joy any time her students are thriving and immersed in a project. “It's impactful. You can feel it in the room. It's the fuel that makes teaching move forward.” Her intention this year is to set realistic student expectations revolving around the process of art while creating a classroom routine that they can all lean into and have fun! She feels great cohesiveness and support at Horizon Academy, and it’s just the icing on the cake that she gets to make art with kids every day as her job! Holly wants to lead the way by example this year and believes that children tend to mirror what they see; she hopes she is a positive influence and role model.