LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kim Jackson was nominated by Autumn Bivins, a member of the community.

Mrs. Jackson single-handedly assists six different classrooms and coordinates several events for fourth and fifth grade students throughout the school year. Her job consists of organizing any money the students bring in, collecting lunch count, grading papers, teaching small group lessons, making copies, helping to plan class parties, assisting in projects and room transformation, and aiding in whatever department the school may need her for that day. In order to successfully enrich the academic lives of those in her small group classes, she is constantly learning new teaching strategies and seeking ways to keep learning fun.

Mrs. Jackson not only goes above and beyond her required work, but she also regularly volunteers to attend to various jobs throughout the school and community. For example, Mrs. Jackson arrives to school 30 minutes early each day to assist in the cafeteria where students are getting breakfast. She utilizes this time to make connections with all students. She effortlessly memorizes names and forms bonds with students from every grade level ranging from Pre-school to fifth grade. Mrs. Jackson connects with the students just as well as she does with every staff member.

"I often refer to her as the 'smile of our school,' because that is what she does. She walks by and creates smiles wherever she goes," said Bivins. "She makes a positive impact on every person she meets by lending an ear to those going through hard times, buying gifts to serve as random acts of kindness, volunteering her unpaid time to help any person struggling to get the job done, and helping out in every situation she can where she sees assistance is needed."

Along with her bubbly personality and ability to form bonds with anyone around her, she is also a consistent leader within the community. Mrs. Jackson has created several fundraisers on her own accord in order to raise money or awareness for various organizations. Her most popular fundraiser occurs during the month of October, when she spearheads projects to raise money for United Way. Some examples of the projects she organizes to raise money include an estimation game for all students to play, a casserole potluck for staff members, and a drawing on her own budget to incentivize people to donate to the cause.

Mrs. Jackson effortlessly coordinates various events and projects on behalf of the school in order to raise morale and bring together staff members. The most popular projects include Secret Sisters, Secret Santa Week, and the summer birthday bash.

Secret Sisters is a fun way for her school's educational assistants to connect. The EAs will be assigned to one another in a secret fashion, and throughout the school year, they will perform random acts of kindness for their designated employee. At the end of the year, the "sisters" will get together and discover who their secret sister was!

Similarly, Secret Santa Week is an idea Mrs. Jackson had years ago, and it continues to brings joy, humor, and fun to all those who participate each year. At Christmas time, Mrs. Jackson will allow all employees who wish to participate to fill out a "Christmas wish list." She goes around and has everyone draw from a hat in order to reveal who they will be shopping for. Each day of the Secret Santa Week, participants will buy a small gift for their chosen staff member and deliver it in a secret, sneaky fashion. On the last day of the week, the staff meets to exchange one final big gift and reveal their "Santa."

Finally, Mrs. Jackson hosts a summer birthday bash for her colleagues who have summer birthdays and don't get to celebrate during the school year. She orchestrates who will bring what, and she has the participating staff members meet for lunch to exchange gifts and eat cake.

"Her creative ideas to engage staff members in various events throughout the school year keep her ranked as one of Walter Hill's most valuable staff members," said Bivins. "She is loved and appreciated by all employees and community members."