08/21/2026
Whitko High School marks 50 years with a Malicki art teacher
SOUTH WHITLEY – When a high school art teacher picked up the phone on his wedding anniversary a few years ago, what he thought he’d hear was a cheery “Happy Anniversary!” from his dad. What he heard, instead, was, “Hey, I retired, so if you want that job at Whitko, you’d better get your application turned in.”
Daniel Malicki turned in his application.
That was 15 years ago, in 2012. And Daniel Malicki replaced Walter Malicki when the elder retired after 35 years as Whitko High School’s art teacher, making 2026 the 50th year a Malicki has taught in the art room.
“I grew up watching Dad teach,” Daniel said. “We’d take a shortcut through the boiler room, which I thought was cool. We’d attend Whitko sporting events. I still have the little footballs and basketballs they’d throw to fans during the games.”
The Malickis lived in Huntington and Walter taught evening art classes for adults at Huntington College (now Huntington University), too. He taught at HC until his sons, Daniel and David, asked him to spend more time with them, that is. Walter’s wife, the late Nancy, was an art teacher in the Huntington school district. David is a graphic designer. Walter passed away in December 2023.
As a recent Herron Art School graduate, Walter was hired at Whitko in 1976. He received his master’s degree from St. Francis University. Over the course of his career, he was awarded numerous national, international, regional, and local art awards, received the Margaret Keegan Arts United Lifetime Achievement award, the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Award, the Dekko Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award, was a semi-finalist for the Indiana Teacher of the Year Award and, in 2008, became one of a handful of artists commissioned to paint an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. He’s a Whitko Hall of Fame inductee, too.
Daniel, who taught for five years at Maconaquah High School, says his dad had a competitive nature and provided his students the opportunity to enter contests. He’s continued this tradition, because, well, he’s his father’s son. Two of Daniel’s students, Justine Ocken and Cassidy Skinner, were designated Artist of the Year in the 2024 and 2025 Cooperative Calendars of Student Art. The girls were featured in Indiana Cooperative magazine. Whitko artists have earned top awards in this calendar since 2001. Whitko entries continue to be recognized in the Lakes and Streams Calendar, Scholastic Art exhibits and international competition. Many students graduate with scholarship-worthy portfolios to pursue careers in art.
Student art hangs on the high school’s main office walls, work rotates in and out of main entrance display cases and is on display in the art room. The pieces represent hours and hours of persistence as a well-rendered drawing may take 80 hours to complete. The inspiration, followed by composition, sketching, shading and filling that blank piece of paper often continues outside class time.
Long before the J-Wing was added to the high school, Walter had established a landscaped court outside the art room with sculptures, birdhouses, picnic tables and outdoor grills, the scene of many celebrations. Daniel has maintained this tradition, although the original court went through recent reiterations, it’s now the artistic cornerstone of the much larger courtyard which includes extensive plantings and seating arrangements.
Walter began the summer art school, a two week intensive program, funded through an endowment managed by the Whitley County Community Foundation. The program included short trips to regional art galleries. Daniel’s summer art school now includes trips to Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit and Toledo art museums, zoos and other points of interest.
The art room Walter made his own in 1976 is filled by Daniel with that same spirit of creativity, competition and curiosity. The teacher may have changed, somewhat, as “Hey, Malicki!” is still rings through in the halls, but the mission remains much the same: to give students the time, encouragement and opportunity to turn an idea into something uniquely theirs.
At Whitko, a legacy is still being drawn, painted and shaped – one student, one project and one piece of art at a time.
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“50 Years of Malicki Art” short- and long-sleeved t-shirts and sweatshirts, with graphics designed by Daniel and refined by his brother, David, are available for purchase. Proceeds go to the Whitko Art Club. Contact Whitko Junior Senior High School or Whitko Career Academy for more information.
