Vina teacher earns national Teacher of the Week nod

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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.