Russellville Middle School art teacher Nancy Meeks will be the first one to tell you not to count someone out just because of their age.

Meeks has seen year after year how talented her sixth, seventh and eighth grade art students really are and said she would put some of their work against more accomplished artists any day.

“Some of the students I teach have such a natural talent and it’s such a joy to teach kids who have a real passion for art,” she said.

Before school let out for the summer, Meeks held an art show to give the community an opportunity to see the things her students have learned about and created over the past year.

“It never fails – we always have people from the community who want to buy the things that some of the students make,” Meeks said.

“The students really take in what we learn throughout the year and make those principles come to life through their artwork. The result is creating something beautiful with meaning and it translates to other people, not just to me or to the other students.”

Meeks said her students learn many things in her art classes such as learning to paint like an Impressionist; drawing with pencil, pen and ink and charcoal; how to create collages; how to paint on ceramic tiles and bird houses; how to make pottery luminaries, vases, trays and Japanese tea bowls; and the principles of weaving.

“In these classes, students learn how art affects our lives on a daily basis and how it enhances our world,” Meeks said, “because there is not a moment on any given day when we do not experience another human being’s artistic expression.”

She added that learning about art from various cultures, times and places, as well as how art ties in with math and science, help expand her students’ horizons and learn how beneficial art can be to them in their future.

“There are so many uses for art in a person’s life, and I think knowing this can make them well-rounded students,” she said.

Several students won awards at the RMS Art Show on May 15. Meeks said RMS awards were given out in each artistic category.

Cash awards sponsored by the Franklin County Arts and Humanities Council were also given out as well.

“We appreciate the Arts and Humanities Council for their continued support of our art program here at the middle school,” Meeks said.

“I can see first-hand how art can be a positive influence in the lives of many students – this is their passion and we appreciate the people who see that and invest in the things they love and enjoy.”