An elementary school art instructor has been named as Connecticut's teacher of the year. Kim King teaches art to students in preschool through the fourth grade at both the Southeast Elementary School and the Annie E. Vinton School in Mansfield. She was surprised by a visit Thursday morning from Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials. King was recognized for using art education to "nurture and stretch her students' thinking while also helping them recognize the commonality between their own stories and experiences to those of others." She holds a master's degree in art education from New York University.