Jefferson City News

Jennifer Jones, an English teacher at Lee’s Summit West High School in the Lee’s Summit R-VII School District, has been named the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year. Selected by a committee of her peers and education partners across the state, Jones becomes the 56th recipient of this award since its inception in 1957.

Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Minnesota at Morris and a Master of Education in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has spent 19 years of her 23-year career at Lee’s Summit West High School, where she teaches senior College Credit English and International Baccalaureate English Literature. Additionally, she serves as the language arts department co-chair. Jones is actively involved with several educational organizations 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 Black Box Theatre.

“In my best moments as a teacher, the students function nearly independently from me, relying instead on each other and their own thinking to solve the complex and important challenges inherent in writing and reading,” said Jones. “In order for students to stretch their high school brains toward college thinking, they must work together; in order to work together, they must feel connected to the classroom community.”

“Missouri is fortunate to have so many passionate, dedicated educators, and Jennifer is a wonderful example of the best of our teacher workforce,” said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger. “Every day Jennifer demonstrates just how important it is to foster a life-long love of learning in both our students and our educators. And she’s committed not just to students’ academic success but how they develop as people and future leaders.”

Jones emphasizes building community and fostering critical thinking within her classroom daily through lesson plans that incorporate individual, peer, and whole-class work.

Residing in Blue Springs, Jones will be honored during DESE’s Teacher of the Year recognition event at Lake of the Ozarks on Monday, October 21. She will be recognized alongside other finalists, semi-finalists, and Regional Teachers of the Year. Following this honor, Jones will represent Missouri in the National Teacher of the Year program.

The Missouri Teacher of the Year program acknowledges effective teachers who strive to provide high-quality education for their students. Greg Kester from Potosi R-III School District's Potosi High School was named Missouri Teacher of the Year for 2024.