Lee’s Summit West teacher honored with state award in suprise assembly

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — A teacher in the Lee’s Summit School District got a surprise, high honor, Thursday.

FOX4 was at the Lee’s Summit West High School assembly where she found out she’s the 2025 Missouri State Teacher of the Year.

It’s a moment Jennifer Jones will not forget anytime soon, as about 2,200 students and staff celebrate Jennifer Jones, the 2025 Missouri State Teacher of the Year.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner made the surprise announcement.

“I’m truly honored to be selected as Missouri State Teacher of the Year for 2025,” Jones said.

“But it’s not half the honor of walking into this building every day and working with the people I work with and teaching the people I teach.”

Disguised as the school’s 20th-anniversary celebration, this assembly was all for Jones. She let her students know the priority is learning.

“Yesterday when I found out we were having this assembly, my reaction was, how dare you interrupt learning with this last-minute assembly,” she said.

Jones is an English teacher at Lee’s Summit West High School. She’s been teaching for 23 years and spent the last 19 in the district.

After receiving this honor, she continues to teach her students. She said her teaching philosophy emphasizes that first, students are people who need spaces where they are valued.

“My message to my students is that I didn’t say anything or do anything other than be myself to get here and they are enough on their own,” Jones said.

“I think some of them think that if they put themselves on a college application essay or scholarship essay, that’s not going to be enough to stand out, but they are enough on their own and I just want them to have that knowledge and confidence.”

Jones will receive a cash award and is invited to the White House Rose Garden with all state winners as part of the National Teacher of the Year Program.

A fellow teacher at Lee’s Summit West nominated Jones.

Members of the Selection Committee were also there Thursday for the celebration.

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