by Samantha Della Fera & Ben Halevy
Westfield is renowned for its excellence in the arts. Be it bands that bring home national championships, musicals that thrill the audience or art displays that stir the pot, the Westfield school system boasts incredible talent in every artistic sphere. Yet behind the glamour and grandeur of the arts there is a woman who, for the past two decades, has made it all possible: Dr. Linda King.
Westfield is renowned for its excellence in the arts. Be it bands that bring home national championships, musicals that thrill the audience or art displays that stir the pot, the Westfield school system boasts incredible talent in every artistic sphere. Yet behind the glamour and grandeur of the arts there is a woman who, for the past two decades, has made it all possible: Dr. Linda King.
The district’s supervisor of visual and performing arts, King will be retiring next month after nearly 30 years in the Westfield school district. King started her career in Westfield as a band teacher in 1988, where she remained for nine years. In 1997, King was offered her current position as arts supervisor, and has been there ever since.
King is in charge of all arts in Westfield public schools, from the clay pots crafted in a second-grade classroom, to the carefully constructed sets of the WHS theater. While this may seem overwhelming, those who have worked with King will tell you that nobody is better suited for the job.
“Few colleagues in my career have demonstrated the passion for their work as intensely as Dr. Linda King,” Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan said. “She seamlessly threads the talent of more than 40 teachers in the arts to effectively challenge and engage our students at every age and every level.”
King’s excellence in administration is not only recognized by her supervisor, but also by her fellow teachers. “Dr. King is an incredible leader,” Choir Director Mr. John Brzozowski said. “She is able to make the tough decisions that need to be made. She is able to advocate for the arts. She is also nurturing and understands kids. Coming from all those viewpoints, that makes her an outstanding administrator.”
King’s involvement with the arts programs in Westfield is not limited to a supervising role, and she tries to interact with students in any way possible. “I just miss the enjoyment of the students; the students are fun here, they’re great kids and they’re very talented, so I miss that interaction with them,” she said.
She is dedicated to ensuring that all of her students have what they need to excel in the classroom, even if that requires unconventional methods. “I had mentioned to her that we needed new cello stands for the orchestra and that I was going to bring them in,” Orchestra Teacher Mr. Craig Stanton recalled. “The next day, she came in with 15 new stands that she had made herself in her garage. That’s not something just anyone would do.”
Although King was not an art teacher, she has never shirked her responsibility to the fine arts programs. “Last year, we had to rebuild all our stanchions for the district art show because part of the schools flooded and we lost all our wooden stanchions,” Art Teacher Ms. Lauren Schwarzenbek said. “She went and got all the supplies from Home Depot, like PVC pipe, and all the art teachers took one day and sawed and glued everything together so we could have the art show.”
As her time in Westfield reaches its cadence, King looks fondly upon her time in the district. “I think this is a place where people dream to work,” she said. “Once you plant your feet here, you stay here. You have great community, great staff support, great bosses.
“It’s a great place to be and it’s a great place to stay.”
The district’s supervisor of visual and performing arts, King will be retiring next month after nearly 30 years in the Westfield school district. King started her career in Westfield as a band teacher in 1988, where she remained for nine years. In 1997, King was offered her current position as arts supervisor, and has been there ever since.
King is in charge of all arts in Westfield public schools, from the clay pots crafted in a second-grade classroom, to the carefully constructed sets of the WHS theater. While this may seem overwhelming, those who have worked with King will tell you that nobody is better suited for the job.
“Few colleagues in my career have demonstrated the passion for their work as intensely as Dr. Linda King,” Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan said. “She seamlessly threads the talent of more than 40 teachers in the arts to effectively challenge and engage our students at every age and every level.”
King’s excellence in administration is not only recognized by her supervisor, but also by her fellow teachers. “Dr. King is an incredible leader,” Choir Director Mr. John Brzozowski said. “She is able to make the tough decisions that need to be made. She is able to advocate for the arts. She is also nurturing and understands kids. Coming from all those viewpoints, that makes her an outstanding administrator.”
King’s involvement with the arts programs in Westfield is not limited to a supervising role, and she tries to interact with students in any way possible. “I just miss the enjoyment of the students; the students are fun here, they’re great kids and they’re very talented, so I miss that interaction with them,” she said.
She is dedicated to ensuring that all of her students have what they need to excel in the classroom, even if that requires unconventional methods. “I had mentioned to her that we needed new cello stands for the orchestra and that I was going to bring them in,” Orchestra Teacher Mr. Craig Stanton recalled. “The next day, she came in with 15 new stands that she had made herself in her garage. That’s not something just anyone would do.”
Although King was not an art teacher, she has never shirked her responsibility to the fine arts programs. “Last year, we had to rebuild all our stanchions for the district art show because part of the schools flooded and we lost all our wooden stanchions,” Art Teacher Ms. Lauren Schwarzenbek said. “She went and got all the supplies from Home Depot, like PVC pipe, and all the art teachers took one day and sawed and glued everything together so we could have the art show.”
As her time in Westfield reaches its cadence, King looks fondly upon her time in the district. “I think this is a place where people dream to work,” she said. “Once you plant your feet here, you stay here. You have great community, great staff support, great bosses.
“It’s a great place to be and it’s a great place to stay.”