Paula Hawkins was a respected music educator in the Highline School District for many years. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University and began teaching young children in 1970. Paula also served as the facilitator of Fine and Performing Arts in the Highline district for 12 years. She has served on numerous regional and state committees, including working on performance-based arts assessments with fine arts educators from across the state. She has been a frequent presenter at WMEA events, has also been active in the local arts community and was co-founder of the Burien Coalition for the Arts. Paula retired in 2003 but is still active in staff development and consulting and is the artistic director for the Choral Sounds Northwest Children’s Chorus.