(KOAM) – Jennifer Jones, an English teacher at Lee’s Summit West High School, has been selected as the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year. Chosen by a committee of educators and partners from across the state, Jones becomes the 56th recipient of this prestigious award since its inception in 1957.
With 23 years of teaching experience, Jones has spent the last 19 years at Lee’s Summit West, where she teaches senior College Credit English and International Baccalaureate English Literature. She also serves as the language arts department co-chair. Jones is active in various educational groups, including the Greater Kansas City Writing Project and CAPPIES, a high school theatre critics organization. She also produces a monthly open mic event at the school’s Black Box Theatre.
Jones is known for fostering a sense of community and critical thinking in her classroom. “In my best moments as a teacher, the students function nearly independently from me, relying on each other and their own thinking,” she said.