Why is Mrs. Shiver so loved by her students? If you have never had her, Mrs. Shiver is an art teacher at Lakes who has been in the district for over 25 years and teaches glass crafts, exploring art, and ap studio art. She first worked at Clover Park High School and then went to Woodbrook and spent 14 years there before coming to Lakes. When asked how they feel about Mrs. Shiver and their favorite qualities about her, students replied with “I love her, she’s extremely outgoing and energetic and my favorite thing is how easy she is to relate to,”- Audrey LaRoy and “She’s definitely one of my favorite teachers and her best quality is how funny she is,”- Mila Lay. Mrs. Shiver is easily one of my favorites as well. She’s always so happy to see us and never fails to brighten my mood even on the worst days.  

Mrs. Shiver was born and raised in Tacoma and attended Stadium High School followed by Seattle Pacific University. At 24(after graduating from SPU) she was invited to a summer camp where she got to lead arts and crafts and by the time she left, she realized that was her passion. She shortly went to Pacific Lutheran University to get her bachelors in education and Lesley for her masters. 

Outside of being an art teacher Mrs. Shiver does stained glass, painting, and she designs tattoos (“no I will not design your tattoo”-Mrs. Shiver). Every year she travels across the country looking for new and exciting projects for her classes. Right now, one of the things she is most proud of is having enough projects that one student could take her class for 2 semesters, all 4 years and they would never have to do the same project twice. 

When I asked her what her favorite thing about teaching was, she replied with “I love your smiles and seeing my students’ artwork and I’m humbled when students from past years come back to show me their growth.” Mrs. Shiver is one of the most encouraging teachers I have ever had and if you get the opportunity, I suggest taking one of her classes, you won’t regret it. “I thoroughly believe that everyone is artistic you just have to figure out where your artistic abilities lie,” – Mrs. Shiver.