Presented jointly by the Canton Symphony, the Massillon Museum, and the Canton Museum of Art, the awards recognize public, private, and parochial art and music educators via nominations through the Stark County Educational Service Center and the Canton Symphony Orchestra. The awards seek to uphold educators who have positively impacted their students and communities and who have shown great dedication to the fields of Art or Music Education.
Tornero teaches art for 7th and 8th-grade students at Oakwood Middle School in the Plain Local School District and has been teaching for 13 years. In addition to pedagogy, he is an and makes tote bags, wall hangings, and other textile products. He strives to keep a balance between his two passions: creating artwork and helping foster creativity in future generations.
On a Canton Museum of Art’s Facebook post, Tornero’s nominator said, “Stephen instills a lifelong appreciation of art for his students through his own example. Stephen exemplifies how an artist has a responsibility to educate and cultivate his own art. His commitment to art education goes above and beyond the classroom walls. Stephen works closely with area art educators to create opportunities and shows for students to display and compete with their works of art.”