Southeast High School theatre teacher and East High student receive Wichita Arts Council Awards

Martha Dooms, a theatre teacher at Southeast High School and district theatre curriculum coach, has been named the Wichita Arts Council 2023 Arts Educator of the Year. East High senior Athalia Altit has received the council’s Youth Recognition Award.  

Dooms has been a theatre teacher in the district for 34 years, spending 10 years at South High School and the past 24 years at Southeast, where she has served as co-performing arts department chair for the past 12 years.

For the past 17 years she has also been the district theatre curriculum coach supporting theatre teachers the district, coordinating five district shows, two theatre backdrop projects, created Repertory Theatre across the district and began both the Wichita State University One Act Showcase as well as hosting the district’s One Act Showcases four times.

In 2012, she won the Mary Jane Teall Outstanding Theatre teacher award and was named Theatre Teacher of the Year for Region 1 by Kansas Thespians in 2018.

Martha is also a founding (and current) member of the Kansas State Thespian Board and has served as Awards Chairman and Honor Troupe co-chair. 

“I’m very flattered and humbled for being recognized as a leader in the arts community,”  said Dooms.

Athalia Altit, a senior at East High, who plans to study fashion in Europe, was recognized for avidly contributing to, and shaping, the art scene in Wichita.

She interned at Mark Arts over the summer, assisting with exhibitions. She received the Mark Arts Versus Youth Battle Award for an original painting she created in 20 minutes in a live competition. Altit has also ventured into the world of fashion, developing her own clothing line and organizing a fashion show at a local skatepark.

"Martha and Athalia's well-deserved Arts Council Awards are examples of the high-quality arts instruction and student talent that takes place every day in our district," said Shawn Chastain, executive coordinator of Fine Arts for Wichita Public Schools.