Jenna Stewart sets high academic and behavioral standards in her fifth grade class at Longbranch Elementary where she teaches math. A quiet leader, Stewart places emphasis on relationship-building and works to instill a strong sense of community amongst students and their families, providing a sturdy foundation for structure and success. Her focused approach garners positive results with students, achieving 90% proficiency or better by the end of the school year, a benchmark set by Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS).
Stewart is passionate about every facet of her students’ growth, and her support and positive influence extend beyond scholastic activities with a focus on the whole child. She has coached “Girls on the Run,” building confidence in students through setting and achieving their goals, and completing a 5K. She has co-chaired the Student Job Committee, a group that helps students obtain jobs. She also has led the school’s Lighthouse Team – a group of students who represent the school in a myriad of ways, from morning announcements to helping others board the buses – that is part of the “Leader in Me” program. Her sense of community is evident: she holds “porch pop-ins” at students’ houses at the beginning of the school year to meet and encourage them for the year ahead, and frequently attends her students’ sporting events outside of school.
At the district and community levels, Stewart’s leadership is further demonstrated as a teacher leader for mathematics, working to revise and build curriculum aligning with target benchmarks for the approximately 20,000 students within the district. Stewart has represented the district for School-Based Decision Making (SBDM), and serves on the Deeper Learning Committee and the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Committee.
Stewart earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Kentucky in 2014.
Press Release: Kentucky Math Teacher Surprised with Prestigious Milken Educator Award and Unrestricted $25,000 Prize
