The Mississippi Economic Council M.B. Swayze Foundation announced this month that Jackson Academy senior Bailey Berry is a STAR Student for the 2022-23 school year. The foundation selects STAR Students based on academic excellence, factoring in standardized test scores, such as the ACT, and scholastic averages.
Bailey has chosen chemistry teacher Richard West as her STAR Teacher. STAR Teachers have significantly contributed to the student’s educational achievement.
Bailey credits AP Chemistry as a class that significantly impacted her learning, primarily because of the unique environment Richard West created. Bailey felt that the course seemed tailored to each student’s interests because of West’s receptiveness to questions. “I was able to be challenged by the content but also ask why and be met with the answer because Coach West is so knowledgeable,” Bailey explained.
Bailey is a National Merit Finalist and a member of the Cum Laude Society. She is a Jernberg Scholar and Academy Honor Roll student on the Quiz Bowl and mathematics competition team. Her extracurricular activities include Encore and theatre performances. She has especially enjoyed being a senior buddy in JA’s Alpha & Omega mentoring program for kindergartners and seniors.
She aspires to be a biomedical engineer, using her skills to help skincare companies make products for people suffering from acne and other skin problems. Bailey plans to attend the University of Alabama, majoring in materials engineering and minoring in biology next year.
Richard West is a STAR veteran who has received STAR Teacher recognition for numerous years at JA, Clinton High School, and Bailey Magnet School. He was named an All-STAR teacher in honor of the number of times a student has selected him as their most influential teacher. Since teaching at JA, he has twice been a finalist for the Clarion-Ledger Best Teacher award. Also at JA, West’s fellow faculty members named him Upper School Teacher of the Year in 2021.
His passion for science burns brightly, igniting sparks in his students. “You show excitement and be sincere … and have a passion for it, and the kids will see that—and they will also draw inspiration from it,” West said. He wants students to develop a passion for science as a career, noting that the world needs more engineers, research scientists, and medical doctors.
Head of Upper School Brandi Richardson sees the JA mission play out in this pairing. “After working with Bailey, it is apparent that she understands her gifts and talents and has identified her purpose as she pursues her career in the future,” Richardson said. “Coach West is a great example of a faculty member who teaches with our mission in mind because many students leave his room with a sense of passion for chemistry and the confidence to pursue science-related careers. I am thrilled to see Bailey select Coach West as a STAR Teacher. “
More than 600 STAR Students and STAR Teachers will be honored during an Education Celebration on April 13, 2023, at the Clyde Muse Center. The top 20 STAR Students will receive scholarships, and their STAR Teachers will receive awards from the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Charitable Foundation. One student will be named ALL-STAR Scholar. This student will win a $24,000 Cook Foundation Scholarship.
