Jane Cox

Jane Cox entered the doors of St. Francis in January, 1980 amidst a snow storm.  She totaled her sports car on the way to school and hitched a ride down Hwy. 42.  Twenty-nine years and several cars later, Jane is still here, teaching Humanities and Spanish.  Cox graduated from the University of Louisville with degrees in Spanish and Humanities, studying a year in Madrid, Spain.  She taught one year in a Montessori school and eight years in a private high school, teaching Spanish, English and Humanities before coming to St. Francis.  Her three daughters followed her to school:  Abigail in 1981, Mia in 1987 and Lolle in 1991. 

In 1985, Cox created the Humanities program at St. Francis.  The curriculum includes Impressionistic Art (6th),  American Artists and Authors (5th), Literature Goes to the Movies,  and an introduction to these courses for 3^rd and 4^th grades.  What began as a dream to have students recognize a Monet from a Picasso has become an integral part of the St. Francis curriculum.

Cox has organized art trips for classes to museums in Chicago and Atlanta. Since 1999, she has designed and organized art excursions throughout Europe for young students to visit both the homes of great masters and world renowned museums to experience their works.  These trips spanned France from Nice to Giverny; Italy from Venice to Capri; Spain from Barcelona to the Strait of Gibraltar; Ireland around the Ring of Kerry, and England around Oxford, Avon and London.  Students have walked through the gardens of Giverny and toured the homes of Renoir, Chagall, Cezanne, and Gaudi.  They have visited the National and Tate Museums in London, the Reitz in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid, and the Uffizi in Florence.  These trips have been educational and inspiring to young people who appreciate great art and the stories behind the canvases.  This summer Jane travelled throughout Ireland.

When she is not traveling, Jane can be found designing costumes for the drama department or running study hall after school.  She has been the faculty representative to the St. Francis Board of Trustees and on the Speed Museum Teacher Board, was St. Francis’ representative to KAIS, where she planned the New Teachers Institute for 2004 and 2005.  Jane has been a member to the Louisville Cultural Consortium.  She has taken oil painting lessons at the Crescent Moon Studio since 2003.

Jane is proud of all three daughters who went through St. Francis: Abby, a dentist in Indianapolis; Mia, a medical student at The University of Texas; and Lolle, a graduate from The University of Louisville.  She has three grandchildren,  Anna, Connor and Ethan ( Abby’s children),  who have inherited their grandmother’s love of art!

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