TEACHERS OF THE YEAR
Teachers of the Year Jackson Academy recognized the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year award recipients at the Jackson Academy Association’s annual Spring Faculty Appreciation Luncheon. Each year, one teacher from each division is selected by their peers to receive this distinction.
Amanda Cross Amanda Cross received the Preschool Teacher of the Year Award for K3 and K4. Cross graduated from the University of Mississippi with undergraduate and graduate degrees. In college, she studied elementary education and then earned her master’s in curriculum and instruction. She has taught at JA for four years. “My favorite part of teaching is watching the joy on each young child’s face when he or she discovers it is possible,” she said. “The ‘I did it’ moments are the most rewarding and stay in my heart forever!”
April Foster Lower School third grade teacher April Foster was awarded the Teacher of the Year Award for grades one through four. She holds a bachelor of science in education from Mississippi College, where she also earned her master’s in education. “It is rewarding to see students flourish academically, but my favorite aspect of teaching is seeing students develop spiritually and emotionally,” Foster shared. “It touches my heart when students take the time to notice others and reach out to someone who needs an encouraging word, a helping hand, or a friend to play with.”
Kay Lane Middle School social studies teacher Kay Lane received the Teacher of the Year Award for her division. Having taught at JA for 19 of her 39 years of teaching, Lane retired at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. “I have always felt that teaching is much more than a profession,” she said. “It is more of a ministry in which I have tried to do my best to educate the whole child spiritually, emotionally, and academically. I also love getting to know my children during those ‘down’ times when we can just talk about our lives.”
Richard West Richard West received the Upper School Teacher of the Year Award. West earned a bachelor of science from Alcorn State University and a master of science from Jackson State University. He credits summer programs at the University of Southern Mississippi, Georgia Tech, and the University of Alabama for solidifying his understanding of advanced inorganic chemistry. West has taught at JA for four years and said, “My favorite aspect of teaching is when students go off to study chemistry in areas of higher learning and find that they are as prepared and even more prepared than students from other parts of the country.” TRUE BLUE 43
