Hawthorne Teacher Wins First Place and $27,000 for Innovative Teaching Project

Hawthorne HS geometry teacher, Ms. Ding-ay Tadena, won 1st place in Voya Financial's Unsung Heroes Program and was presented with a $27,000 check. She won for her innovative “When Geometry Meets Fashion” project, which focuses on connecting “left brain and right brain” skills. Students use the math skills they have developed from her class to the study of music, art and fashion design. The Voya grant will allow Tadena to provide materials for a diverse array of mathematical art projects, including drawing, painting, fashion and accessory design, and more. Tadena believes by understanding and applying the crossovers between arts and mathematics, students will be able to find color, glamour and beauty in what is sometimes considered a mundane subject. With her award grant, she plans to purchase items for the program, including dress forms, expandable body forms, mannequins, sewing machines, assorted textiles, 3-D printers and art materials. These items will help ensure the continued success of the program for years to come and will allow other teachers to utilize the resources so they can also discover the joy of arts integration into other subjects.