WOODBURY – Out of all the staff members to walk the halls of Nonnewaug High School, few are more memorable for going above and beyond every day. Out of these few, is highly accomplished art teacher Leeza Desjardins. 

Within just last school year, Desjardins’ students earned the Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with Five of the 10 Silver portfolios awarded in the state of Connecticut. And 10 Gold Keys, seven Silver Keys, and four special awards for individual awards in 2025 alone, she continues to set herself apart as a NHS faculty member. 

Without Desjardins, the art department wouldn’t be where it is today. 

Leeza Desjardins came into this school after a previous art teacher left suddenly, and Desjardins fled onto the scene to fulfill the missing role. 

“Those kids when I first came here were my guinea pigs and I created an art one, two, three, and four a sequential course so kids can build upon their skills,” says Desjardins. 

“On my first day a student hooked her head in my room, her name is Heather Springsteen. She graduated from here [NHS] and went to the Hartford Art School then graduated from there and she asked if I was going to do the same old stuff that the old teacher did– and I said no, I’m a different teacher.”

Staff members around NHS have recognized Desjardins dedication and commitment she shows throughout her years teaching at Nonnewaug Highschool School.

Kathy Brenner, one of Nonnewaug’s wellness instructors, has been at NHS alongside Desjardins since the late 90s. She has seen, first-hand, Desjardins talents as a faculty member and a critical educator on campus. 

“Desjardins is extremely dedicated which impacts her students because they are constantly receiving awards and blue ribbons for their artwork,” says Brenner.

Desjardins strives for all her students to be the best they can, Nonnewaug has had the pleasure of many students receiving awards for their art over the years.  

Throughout her many years, Desjardins has perfected what she wants her students to learn in her class; as it’s not just art but she also sets you up for life after high school. 

“I think you learn a lot of life skills here [In her art class] like decision making, thinking outside the box, and being able to communicate,” says Desjardins.

The list of skills Desjardins provides could go on forever, she thinks about not just the students current highschool life– but their path in life further down the road. 

 “We don’t only learn drawing and what not, but being able to communicate about your own work and being able to take criticism and either apply it or put it in the back pocket and use it later or throw it away,” says Desjardins. “Being able to understand that and how to use it is to prepare you if you want to go to college.” 

Desjardins’ students have impressed a plethora of people across the state with just their art, while the people viewing the art may not know what goes on in her proactive classroom. Many people have formed the opinion of her art program that it produces the highest quality of work. 

“Mrs. Desjardin’s runs one of the most rigorous high school public art programs throughout the country. Her student’s artwork has always impressed me,” says Nonnewaug High Schools vice principal Declan Curtin. “In fact, I have purchased art for my own home and office from her students.”

A Friend to All

Leeza Desjardins is highly regarded by students, as well as helping them achieve their dreams of becoming an award winning artist, she also puts effort towards forging bonds with her students. 

Even graduates still share and remember their bond with Desjardins long after their high school years. 

Autumn Samuelson, a 2022 graduate who attends Thomas Jefferson University as an interior design student, has a bond stronger than just teacher-student with Desjardins. 

“She consistently cared about me, how I was doing with other schoolwork besides her own, as well as outside of school. She was always there for us. She definitely makes it a more lively and exciting place to be,” says Samuelson.

For Desjardins’ students, creating an environment that’s comfortable and conducive to learning is essential. 

 “For the students in art, that room becomes a “living room” of sorts that we each know is a safe place for us,” said Samuelson. “She also never limits the creativity of her students, believing each person is highly capable of whatever crazy idea we have workshoped together.” 

For NHS alumni, Desjardins’ connectedness with her students is something that lasts far beyond graduation. 

Jeffrey Stein, another 2022 graduate of Nonnewaug who was the former National Arts Honors Society president and former student of Desjardins shares his experience with her from when he attended Nonnewaug. 

“I was not going to go to Nonnewaug,” Stein remembers. “I wasn’t planning on it. I was going to go to Taft and when I went to the Nonnewaug open house she was just super cool and made me actually want to do art at NHS and when I decided to go to Nonnewaug I did art and it was just so well run.” 

Stein also connects to Desjardins on a personal level, a testament to the bonds forged within the art room.

“I submitted my art portfolio to all my colleges especially Columbia, [current college] and I wrote a ton of essays about Mrs. Desjardins and how her “don’t close doors mentality” is what I took into high school and college, she told us to not going to shut out any opportunities,” Stein says. “I was also a terrible artist when I was a freshman and Mrs. D singlehandedly just completely transformed us.”

Desjardins has mastered the social aspect of teaching, she makes sure that her students know that they have someone to talk to during school. For most, Desjardins is a positive memory they can look back on for their high school experience but also beyond Nonnewaug. 

“Mrs. D made a huge impact on my high school experience. My favorite memory was when she talked me through my first breakup” says Madi Stampp, a 2022 graduate and current University of Vermont senior who had Desjardins as a teacher and mentor during her four years at Nonnewaug.” I also lost someone close to me recently and she was one of the first people to text me. I am so grateful for the relationship that Nonnewaug art gave to me.”