BROOKHAVEN — Ole Brook loves its fine arts program and expressed the support through a new building for art and music at Brookhaven Elementary School. While school board members, staff and students gathered for a ribbon cutting two teachers celebrated Thursday morning. 

Joy Johnson and her youngest daughter Clancie Johnson teach in classrooms right across the hall from each other. Both classrooms have plenty of space to teach students about music and get the creative juices flowing in art. 

Joy said she has taught music at BES for 17 years and taught at the Mississippi School of the Arts for a few years before then. She also taught private music lessons at her church. 

“I’m just so excited to be here. It is just freeing. You don’t have restraints with how large the rooms are,” Joy said. “The cabinets and storage bring more storage room. It is priceless. I can’t describe how much it means to have my daughter right here next to me.” 

The building and having her daughter teaching across the hall feels like a reward for hard work, Joy said. She is proud of all three of her daughters. 

Clancie said both of her parents are educators so she wanted to teach. Her degree is in music but right now she is teaching art at the school. 

“This new building is amazing. I couldn’t do my job without my mom here with me,” Clancie said. “This will be my third year teaching here. I have three sisters and we try to make our parents proud.”