A Greensburg Central Catholic High School teacher was one of 10 educators across the country awarded the Teacher as Hero award from the National Liberty Museum.

Erin Tiedeman, arts department head at the school, earned the designation, which recognizes outstanding educators who represent best practices in teaching while serving as role models, for her work in creating a program that puts students into the community to complete service projects.

The project has been underway for seven years and involved fusing previous community outreach projects with work her students could complete.

“I’ve always been an advocate for our community,” Tiedeman said. “I’ve always wanted to help out as much as I can.”

Tiedeman is a board member for the Scottdale-based Geyer Performing Arts Center where she began highlighting their education department and working to establish the organization as an outreach program in the community while pulling in more diversity and encouraging programming that centered around painting and art history.

From there, Tiedeman began thinking of ways to incorporate students in her outreach work. Student projects have included painting a mural at the performing arts center and volunteering at Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau events, helping with face painting for adoption day and creating art projects for foster kids and families.

Students have also participated in a mentoring program with Greensburg elementary schools where they taught lessons about art and art history.

“Erin motivates her students to reach deep within to draw out their true ability, whether it be their artistic talents or their deeper, analytical thinking of arts as it relates to the political pressures of the era they’re studying, serving as an inspiration to many students who go on to pursue a career in the arts,” said Debbie Fleischman, National Liberty Museum publicist.

Award winners, who were chosen from among 40 national applications, will become part of a dedicated exhibit at the Philadelphia museum that will be shared for one year. Winners will also receive a family membership to the National Liberty Museum and a glass trophy.

Tiedeman was also recently awarded the most outstanding nonpublic art educator of the year by the Pennsylvania Art Education Association.

“I was absolutely blown away,” Tiedeman said of the Teacher as Hero award. “I have to tell you it’s been a rough year as an educator and it came at a time where I was really needing a little spark of encouragement, so it came at a really good time.”

She added, “I think it’s great that they do these teacher hero awards, but this year teachers have stayed so strong for their students and I wish every teacher could be honored this year.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)