Franklin County, News, Russellville
 By  Staff Reports Published 
8:30 am Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Vina teacher earns national Teacher of the Week nod

Contributed Jessica Hamilton, English teacher at Vina High School, was recently named as Teacher of the Week by American Paper & Twine Co., the Tennessee Titans and Georgia-Pacific Communication Papers.

Contributed
Jessica Hamilton, English teacher at Vina High School, was recently named as Teacher of the Week by American Paper & Twine Co., the Tennessee Titans and
Georgia-Pacific Communication Papers.

American Paper & Twine Co., the Tennessee Titans and Georgia-Pacific Communication Papers have announced that Jessica Hamilton, a teacher at Vina High School, was selected as Teacher of the Week for the home opener of the Tennessee Titans 2016 football season.

”For seven years now, we have been honoring outstanding teachers, such as Mrs. Jessica Hamilton,” said Karen Doochin Vingelen, American Paper & Twine Co. vice president. “We are very happy to be able to present her with this year’s first Teacher of the Week award, and we are thankful to be able to work with such amazing partners like the Tennessee Titans and Georgia·Pacific Communication Papers each year to make these presentations possible.”

Vina High School parent and coworker Karen Scott nominated Hamilton. She said, “Mrs. Hamilton goes above and beyond her duties as a teacher at Vina High School. She has taken it upon herself to investigate the newest technology available to help the students within her English classes.” Scott praised Hamilton for consistently seeking grants to help fund technology opportunities for Vina High students.

Also, Scott said, to help seniors with scholarship opportunities, several years ago Mrs. Hamilton decided to develop her 12th grade studies to integrate the scholarship applications as a grading system. As part of the program, each student is required to fill out scholarships with essays as part of graded work. As a result, Vina High School has seen a substantial increase in awarded scholarships. The past two years, because of her implementation of this program, the scholarship student ratio has been at almost 100 percent.

“She honestly takes her profession to heart,” Scott said. “She is loved dearly by all.”

Each home game during the Tennessee Titans season, submissions are reviewed to find exceptional teachers. The winning teachers receive a gift basket full of supplies for their classroom and two tickets to see a Tennessee Titans home game. A new winner is announced for every Tennessee Titans home game, and at the end of the season, a Teacher of the Year is selected. This deserving teacher will receive an award, a deluxe gift basket of school supplies and tickets to the Dec. 11 Titans game vs. the Denver Broncos.

To nominate a teacher, visit WWJI.ShopAPT.com and click Teacher. There is no limit to the number of entries a teacher can receive.

Also on Franklin County Times
Rural hospitals face challenges: New state tax credit could help
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County’s two hospitals face the same financial pressures confronting rural health care across Alabama even as they remain esse...
Phil Campbell gets ‘clean opinion’ on audit
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
PHIL CAMPBELL — Certified public accountant Don Wallace told town council members on Jan. 20 there were no problems with this year’s audit. “This is w...
MLK’s legacy: Blueprint we must follow
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Rev. Bennie “B.J.” Bonner stood before an audience gathered Jan. 19 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration March and described ho...
Elementary students begin Super Citizen program
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
Second and third graders from West Elementary and Russellville Elementary began Liberty Learning Foundation’s Super Citizen program during an event ki...
Book Lovers Study Club explores tea’s role in history
Columnists, News, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
January 28, 2026
Our Book Lovers Study Club’s January meeting highlighted both the Boston Tea Party boycott of English tea and the traditions of afternoon tea. One of ...
Moving from excuses to action in 1 year
Columnists, Opinion
January 28, 2026
In just 12 months, the Trump administration has delivered real results that Americans can see in their daily lives by restoring law and order at our b...
Higgins hired as RHS football coach
High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Darrell Higgins has been hired as the new head football coach at Russellville High School. His hiring was announced Saturday following ...
Seal retires from CB&S after 31 years
News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
January 28, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Following a 31-year career at CB&S Bank, Beverly Seal is now retired and looking forward to what comes next. While she’s still explorin...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *