September 14, 2024

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced the 2025 Missouri State Teacher of the Year is Ms. Jennifer Jones, a Communication Arts educator at Lee’s Summit West High School.

Jones has been teaching for 23 years and spent the past 19 years of her career teaching in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District. As Missouri Teacher of the Year, Jones will serve as a spokesperson and representative for more than 70,000 Missouri teachers, advocate for students, work with state policymakers, speak with high school juniors and seniors about the education profession and use her voice to shape education policy at the local and state level.

Jones says her teaching philosophy emphasizes that first and foremost, students are people who need spaces where they are valued and seen. “I know that in my supportive classroom, my students will take the intellectual risks necessary for writing and reading advanced texts,” said Jones.

Jones was named the LSR7 2024 Teacher of the Year in April after being selected as an Excellence in Teaching Award winner by the district and the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce.

She was selected as one of six Regional Teachers of the Year by the Kansas City Regional Professional Development Center in June, before being named one of 16 state semifinalists, and later one of seven state finalists. Following an application process that included personal essays and letters of recommendation, Jones interviewed with a selection committee in Jefferson City before being selected as the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year.

Jones will be honored at the annual Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet in October. She also will receive a cash award, participate in a statewide recognition meeting with other Teachers of the Year and state coordinators and will be invited to the White House Rose Garden with all state winners as part of the National Teacher of the Year Program.