Having come from private industry, I have a rather unique perspective on the work ethic of teachers. I have never seen so many people work for so many hours with such passion and dedication, with no financial incentives. Teachers simply want to make a difference in the lives of their students. I am so proud to be called a teacher and to work alongside such passionate people. God blessed me when he led me to this incomparable career and I am sincerely grateful, honored, and humbled by this award!

Jacqueline Lewis Enterprise, MS | 7-12, Mathematics, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Jacqueline "Jacqui" Lewis has spent 12 years teaching Geometry, Algebra 1, Advanced Placement Computer Science A (AP CS A) and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) at Enterprise High School, where she is also the Robotics Coach. She previously taught Algebra 1 for one year at Meridian High School and Geometry and Algebra 1 for five years at Williams High School. Jacqui has developed a successful classroom management strategy, “Talent Balanced Teams and the 90 Minute Sprint” (TBT), which is modeled after her 17 years of industry experience in microelectronics and telecommunication software design. Students thrive academically and socially as they learn, work, and design collaboratively and efficiently with this model. Over the past 18 years, Jacqui has presented her TBT classroom management program at state conferences and school districts in both Texas and Mississippi. In 2022, she presented “Visualizing De Morgan’s Theorem with Logic Gates” at the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Annual Conference. Jacqui has been an AP CSP and now an AP CS A training facilitator for Code.org since 2019. Jacqui serves on the Mississippi Computer Science Education Strategic Planning Team and High School Task Force, as they develop a long-term strategy to expand computer science education throughout Mississippi. Jacqui is also a member of the Mississippi Teacher Advisory Council and chairs the Enterprise School District Academic Advisory Council. As an engineer, Jacqui received the John Roth CEO "Top Talent" award at Nortel Networks. Jacqui has a B.S. in computer science and an M.S. in computer engineering, both from North Carolina State University. She earned her secondary mathematics certification at Brookhaven College and is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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