At the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, Dr. Stacey Butterfield issued a challenge to 1,700 JPS employees. The Superintendent encouraged staff members to jump in. Regardless of their role, site, or department, our people are motivated to take action whenever they see a need or an opportunity for improvement or a chance to make the day better for one of our students. These moments to jump can be big or small, but the most important part is being willing to take that leap.
The videos below are just two examples of JPS employees who weren't afraid to jump. There are so many others — in our classrooms, on our fields, in our cafeterias, libraries, and buses — who step up every day to make a difference for students, families, and their colleagues.
Even small gestures, when done with empathy and heart, can change the trajectory of a student. Instead of labeling a struggling student for what he was doing wrong, Coach Willie Ponder jumped in and discovered all he had to offer.
Many students in the English Language Development program come from families that overcame immense challenges just to be in this country in the hopes of attaining a better life for themselves and their children. Imagine being a student in a foreign land and being unable to communicate with classmates and teachers. You would hope for someone to jump in beside you and lift you up. You would hope someone would see you, understand you, and fight to give you the education you deserve. You would want a Laura Hightower in your corner.