Spotlight: Doug Hiser, Houston Gateway Academy

Doug Hiser is the art teacher at Houston Gateway Academy. The qualities of Mr. Hiser that make him so special and an inspiration to his students are his immense passion for art and art history, and the dedication for his art students to getting them ready for college.

Mr. Hiser leads by example and has taught his many art students to paint alongside of him designing and painting murals for senior citizen centers, children centers, malls, and more. Ten of his students assisted with painting the giant Santa Fe Ten Feathers painting honoring the students who passed away on Santa Fe City Hall, at the request of the mayor. His students have also painted murals inside the Houston Zoo, an life-size elephant mural inside the Museum of Science, a huge gorilla inside the World Gym in Texas City, and many more.

Mr. Hiser doesn’t stop there. In addition to taking his students offsite to create art, he also uses his own funds to bring in live animals and characters for his students to practice their painting and drawing. His classroom has seen live hawks, owls, kangaroos, monkeys, and other animals, as well as characters such as Batman and Ironman.

With help from donations and fundraising, Mr. Hiser was able to take four of his art students on a safari to Kenya, Africa for a conservation art project.

“Mr. Hiser’s art program is the highlight of Houston Gateway Academy,” said the person that nominated him. “They have been awarded 231 gold medals in the last 6 years in Art.”