STAR Teacher of the Year

STAR Teacher Hall of Fame

HUBERT WORLEY

BY KIMBERLY VAN UDEN

Math Chair and AP Calculus Teacher

Whenever I walked by Mrs. Van Uden’s room as a junior high student, I noticed the collection of 5s hanging on the back wall, each representing a student who received a 5 on the AP Calculus exam. She seemed to be a tough teacher, but a teacher who nonetheless prepared all of her students. She was my Trig/Pre-Cal teacher when I was in 11th grade and my Cal BC teacher when I was a senior. I loved her hands-on teaching style and how she cared about the success of each of her students. She was always willing to chit-chat or to offer advice. Math was my favorite subject, and Mrs. Van Uden made all of our lessons fun!

KIMBERLY BLOUNT

Recent graduate and 2021 STAR Student Pictured below

RYAN SHERMAN

Kimberly Van Uden

The honor of being named to the Hall of Fame for the STAR program is a reflection of the great students and the supportive environment of Jackson Prep. The STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program is unique to Mississippi. Sponsored by the M.B. Swayze Educational Foundation, each school in the state can name a student who has an ACT score over 25 and a minimum GPA of 93 to represent the school. A school can be represented by more than one student if there are students with ACT scores of 35 or above who meet the GPA requirement.

The first year that I taught, my high school geometry teacher was my mentor. She told me to make a file folder and label it “Reasons I Teach.” She said there would be years when I wouldn’t want to continue or springs when new jobs would look more appealing, so when those times come, she recommended, pull out the file. My 11 STARs are the greatest reasons I teach. For me, being asked to be a student’s STAR teacher is the highest honor. It means that I made a connection with a student and impacted their education in some small way. Today, I am thankful for my geometry teacher, Kaye Smythe, and for the eleven students who said, “Thanks for investing in my education.” Sixteen years ago, while teaching at Murrah High School, Eric Davidson was the first student to ask me to be a STAR teacher. Many math problems had been worked on in my classroom, and he had helped me create an Introduction to Engineering class and Discrete Mathematics class for a group of students who wanted to take more advanced classes. He continued his studies of engineering at Mississippi State and Georgia Tech and is now married with two adorable children. Another Murrah student, Evan Turnage, gave me my second STAR. His family graciously allowed me to celebrate with them through graduation. He graduated from Morehouse and attended law school.

After moving to Jackson Prep, Gracie Hubacek was the first student to give me a STAR. I still have the sweet card of math puns she made when she asked, and it will forever be in the file of reasons I teach. Ben Clark, Seth Lenoir, Robert Wasson, and Graham Roberson were my next five STARs. In 2019, Andrew Wasson became my first sibling STAR. What an honor to be asked by a younger brother. That year, Prep allowed multiple students to ask the same teacher. At Rotary Club that year, Eliza Burnham said, “I just love to work math problems. They calm me.” That makes a math teacher swoon. Nicholas Dean and Kimberly Blount are my most recent STARs.

These 11 young adults will never know how much encouragement they have given me. Encouragement to study more, plan better, and rethink lessons. They remind me that my words make a difference and that sometimes just listening to their tales about bunnies or basketball or buying their paintings means more than teaching them integral calculus.