Jean Palmer-Smith

Maine CTE Teacher of the Year 2022/23

Hi! I’m the Creative Digital Media Instructor here at Region 10. Here is a little about me.

I grew up in Maine and then attended St. Lawrence University and the University of Stirling in Scotland for my degree in English Literature and hiked all over Europe during the summer. After graduating, I attended the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale for a second degree in Graphic Design. I am currently taking Advanced Adobe classes and pursuing my Masters in Communication with an emphasis in Digital Media Marketing.

I have worked as a Graphic and Web Designer for over 20 years now and I love my job. It is dynamic, creative and fresh every day. I have also worked with many students over the years. I used to teach Graphic Design in Boca Raton Florida both in the public schools and at Palm Beach State University. During that time, I also ran an international Travel Club for students and we visited 47 countries together. For the development of the travel club and other student organizations I orchestrated I was awarded the I Make A Difference Teacher of Excellence award for Palm Beach County, a district with 13,000 teachers.

I have a beautiful daughter and a couple of crazy dogs and since moving back to Maine we have had a lot of adventures hiking through the woods and learning to sail again on our tiny boat. I also have a new little grandson and look forward to many adventures with him.

In addition to my love of digital media, I also love to paint, sculpt and enamel. I am pleased to announce that our curriculum, which offers 6 college credits a year, has now expanded to incorporate these forms of artistic expression. We have just installed a brand-new lab full of powerful 27” iMacs. In addition, we have new printers, heat presses and kilns which will allow us to incorporate our digital creations on different surfaces. We not only be able to transfer our designs on to cloth and metal but also integrate and encase them behind layers of glass on metal and ceramic as well.

I still love to travel and a couple of summers ago I decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, a 800 kilometer ancient pilgrimage route across northern Spain; I was blown away by the intricacy of the stained glass in the ceilings of the grand gothic cathedrals and the humble beauty of roses tumbling over crumbling stone walls. More than anything, that hike reminded me that every day contains within it the opportunity to learn, explore and create.

I encourage you to join us as we create! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.