Jackson Academy is pleased to announce that Bailey Berry, daughter of Heidi and John Berry of Jackson, is the Class of 2023 valedictorian. Dev Sharma, son of Kamini and Anil Sharma of Jackson, is the Class of 2023 salutatorian.
Bailey, a National Merit Finalist, was recently selected as JA’s STAR student. The Mississippi Economic Council sponsors the Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Program to encourage scholastic achievement among high school students. She is a JA Jernberg Scholar. The scholarship celebrates the influence of President Emeritus Peter Jernberg’s significant impact on the world of independent education with the hope that each recipient will, in turn, become an individual who makes an impact on her school and community through academics and character.
She is dance captain for JA’s Upper School show choir, Encore, and president of Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honorary. She recently won an All Star Cast Award at ThesCon, the Mississippi Thespian Conference. She is on the Quiz Bowl team.
“Bailey Berry is one of most academically talented students that I have had the opportunity of teaching and learning from in my 35 plus years of teaching,” said Upper School Science Teacher Richard West. “Bailey, along with several other students I was blessed to teach in the senior class, made my day.”
National Merit Finalist Dev is active with the Raider Network, where he works with the school’s Tech Center team to broadcast athletic and school events to audiences. He also assists students and faculty with technology needs at JA’s Tech Center Genius Bar. Dev is a member of the award-winning Quiz Bowl team, which this year won first place in the Mississippi College Academic Competition, among other competitions.
He also enjoys Chess Club. A member of the Academy Honor Roll, he is the recipient of the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. He is a member of the Science National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.
“Dev has been a vital part of the Raider Network and the JA Tech Center over the past several years,” said Chief Technology and Strategy Officer Eddie Wettach. “Beyond Dev’s impressive academic career is a young man with a servant leadership style and a great mentor of younger students.”
Congratulations, Bailey and Dev!
