Top of the class: Beloved high school art teacher honored for a job well done

Palm Coast Observer
Your Town

Flagler Palm Coast teacher Edson Beckett looked up from teaching his Advanced Placement art course and was surprised to see school administrators as well as a representative from Full Sail University in Orlando standing at the doorway to his classroom. The FSU rep was Joel Pickering, whom Beckett knew as the community outreach manager for the university.

"But he was dressed in a full suit and looking very official," Beckett said with a laugh.

Sure enough, the visit which took place two weeks ago, was not your everyday social call but an announcement that Beckett had been selected to receive the inaugural "Extraordinary Educator" award from the Orlando university, which recognizes "teaching excellence, leadership, and supporting students' dreams."

Beckett has been an art teacher for 34 years, the last 29 at FPCHS. Named a "Teacher of the Year" by the district in 2009, Beckett teaches photography and graphic design classes, as well as the portfolio art AP class at the high school. He has helped students obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in college art scholarships, noting proudly that more than 50 of his former students have gone on to pursue careers in the arts following graduation. Outside of the classroom, Beckett himself is a successful artist, dabbling in pottery, photography and graphic design/marketing.

Six new graduates are chosen for the Hall of Fame each year. This honor serves as a tribute to the creative inspiration, technical brilliance, and determination of each inductee and their dedication to more than a decade of excellence in their professional careers. The individuals chosen for a given year's class are confirmed by a Full Sail committee of faculty, administrators, and past Hall of Fame inductees.

While Beckett is not a Full Sail graduate, Pickering said in a press release put out by the Flagler Schools that "Ed has been a great champion of ours for a long time. He knows what is best for his students and is a champion of theirs. When it came time to choose the very first honoree, Beckett was the obvious choice. He will be the one all other honorees will be judged against."

Beckett and his wife attended the Hall of Fame ceremonies at Full Sail University on Feb. 16, where he walked the red carpet with this year's inductees to Full Sail's Hall of Fame. Each year, Full Sail honors past and present inductees by hosting a week-long celebration in and around its Winter Park campus.

For his part, Beckett said he was "extremely honored" by the award, especially since it came from Full Sail, which he called a "second-to-none" institution, applauding its top notch arts degrees and programs.