Six Mississippi educators have been recognized by the White House for their success in the classroom.
On Monday, President Joe Biden honored more than 300 educators nationally with the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award honors those who have made strides in shaping the next generation of leaders.
A panel of distinguished mathematicians, scientists, and educators at the state and national levels assessed the nominations before recommending awardees to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The teachers were selected based on their distinction in the classroom and dedication to improving STEM education.
Each recipient was provided with $10,000 from the National Science Foundation. The following Mississippians were recipients of the honors:
Jana Chao, Clinton
Jana Chao has been an educator for over 17 years and is currently an elementary computer science (CS) coordinator and teacher for Clinton Public Schools. She previously spent over 13 years at Eastside Elementary School teaching fifth grade CS for seven years and, before that, taught English/language arts in fourth and fifth grades.
Additionally, she taught kindergarten for two years at Raymond Elementary School. Chao was an integral part of beginning the CS program at her school for fifth-grade students. Her leadership and love for teaching resulted in the growth of the program beyond her classroom to all elementary students. In her role as CS coordinator, she leads elementary CS teachers as they work to expand the program.
As a part of CS instruction, Chao incorporates other core subject areas into collaborative, project-based learning where students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills learned and honed in CS to create unique presentations.
She uses robotics to challenge students’ applications and holds a yearly Computer Science Day focused on showcasing to students how computer science is used in a variety of work environments and fields. Jana has presented sessions on robotics, digital citizenship, and developing a CS program at the state level and facilitates sessions for a coding curriculum. She has served on the state-wide task force and strategic planning team for implementing CS in Mississippi at the elementary level.
Jennifer Hite, Pearl
Jennifer Hite has been an educator for 15 years and has spent the last 12 years teaching fifth-grade science at Pearl Upper Elementary School. Before teaching at Pearl Upper Elementary, she taught fifth-grade science and mathematics at Brandon Elementary School.
Hite’s affection for science and education was passed down through generations of educators and family members with STEM-related careers. She strives to bring the same love of science to her students and bring light to the science that surrounds them daily and enjoys being creative when engaging with her students.
From dressing in disguise to rearranging her classroom to take students on “field trips” in their “magic school bus,” the educator incorporates fun into lessons. Hite is a member of the Mississippi Science Teachers Association and Mississippi Professional Educators. She has served on several data and content review committees for state testing. Hite also served on the Mississippi College and Career-Readiness Science Standards Feedback Forum Committee.
In 2019, she was selected as the Pearl Public School District Teacher of the Year. She is the current Science Department Chair at Pearl Upper Elementary.
Jacqueline Lewis, Enterprise
Jacqueline Lewis has spent 12 years teaching Geometry, Algebra 1, Advanced Placement Computer Science A (AP CS A), and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) at Enterprise High School, where she is also the robotics coach. She previously taught Algebra 1 for one year at Meridian High School and Geometry and Algebra 1 for five years at Williams High School.
She has developed a successful classroom management strategy, “Talent Balanced Teams and the 90 Minute Sprint” (TBT), which is modeled after her 17 years of industry experience in microelectronics and telecommunication software design. Students thrive academically and socially as they learn, work, and design collaboratively and efficiently with this model.
Over the past 18 years, Lewis has presented her TBT classroom management program at state conferences and school districts in both Texas and Mississippi. In 2022, she presented “Visualizing De Morgan’s Theorem with Logic Gates” at the Computer Science Teachers Association Annual Conference.
The educator has been an AP CSP and now an AP CS A training facilitator for Code.org since 2019. She serves on the Mississippi Computer Science Education Strategic Planning Team and High School Task Force, as they develop a long-term strategy to expand computer science education throughout Mississippi. She is also a member of the Mississippi Teacher Advisory Council and chairs the Enterprise School District Academic Advisory Council. As an engineer, Lewis received the John Roth CEO “Top Talent” award at Nortel Networks.
Kenneth Peagler, Brandon
Kenneth Peagler is a 10th-12th grade science and mathematics teacher at Brandon High School. In his four years at Brandon, he has taught Physics, Physical Science, and Advanced Placement (AP) Physics. Previously, he taught computer science, mathematics, and science courses for five years at Starkville High School and for two years at his alma mater, McLaurin High School.
The teacher adheres to the “Experience First, Formalize Later” approach to education where students work collaboratively through targeted activities that are aimed at illuminating the need for new concepts. Once the students have discovered the need for a concept and have some experience working with it, they are much more receptive to the formalization of that concept through more traditional notes, problem sets, and laboratory activities.
Peagler has presented at several conferences and led professional development activities, but his passion is in the work he is doing with the Global Teaching Project (GTP). GTP is a small non-profit organization aimed at partnering with rural Mississippi schools to provide the resources needed for them to offer AP courses.
He currently serves as the lead instructor and designs curriculum for their AP Physics and AP Computer Science programs, in addition to leading instruction at residential programs hosted for teachers and students throughout the year. Through their efforts, participation in AP Physics 1 has increased by over 50% statewide.
Leah Peavy, Brookhaven
Leah Peavey is a 29-year educator, the last nine of which have been spent teaching grades 9-12 Polymer Science I & II at Brookhaven Technical Center. Beforehand, she taught Advanced Placement and Chemistry I & II for 20 years across high schools in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Prior to becoming an educator, Peavy spent 11 years in industrial process and product development positions, experiences that fueled a passion for STEM and informed her instruction. As a Career & Technical Education (CTE) teacher, she provides rigor and relevance through project and inquiry learning, hands-on experiences, industry tours and activities, live and virtual STEM professional interviews, and statewide competitions.
Peavy designs targeted instruction that fosters both content mastery and soft skills development, such as technical writing and presentation building and delivery. Outside of her program, the teacher strives to encourage diversity and interest in STEM for all ages.
She helped organize and served on the panel for a local community college Women in STEM conference and led a summer STEM enrichment camp for fifth graders. She and her students host a STEM discovery day each year. Actively involved in statewide curriculum development, Leah Ann also shares best practices with STEM educators at the annual Mississippi Association for Career & Technical Education conferences and mentors new teachers.
Judith Terry, Olive Branch
Judith Terry has been an educator for 12 years, all of which she has spent teaching at Center Hill High School. She currently teaches Algebra I, PSAT/ACT Mathematics, and Advanced Placement Calculus AB to 9th-12th grade students, and previously taught Geometry and Algebra II.
The educator uses a problem-based learning approach in the classroom, where real-world application brings mathematics concepts to life. Her hands-on, student-driven teaching style helps students build upon prior knowledge and deepen understanding as they investigate new ideas.
As the Mu Alpha Theta (MAT) sponsor, Terry manages the afterschool peer tutoring program at Center Hill High and works with the MAT Mathletes to prepare for an annual competition. Additionally, she supports the STEAM program at Overpark Elementary School by assisting with the annual STEAM family night and serving as a science fair judge.
In her role as department chair, she works with all mathematics teachers to build continuity between grade levels and keep the curriculum relevant to student needs. Terry leads study sessions for the Praxis mathematics content knowledge test, mentors new mathematics teachers, and provides professional development for secondary mathematics teachers at district and state levels. Terry was named Center Hill High and DeSoto County School District teacher of the year in 2017. She is a member of the Mississippi Teacher Advisory Council to the state superintendent and the Mississippi Council for Teachers of Mathematics.
