This year was Ms. Jarrell’s first and shockingly last year at LVA. Even though her time here was short, she helped lots of students in many ways. Ms. Jarrell worked last year as an English teacher at Gunderson Middle School, this year at LVA, and next year she will take on a new position.
I asked her, “What makes LVA special?” She said, “Nobody here is just let in, and everyone is here for a reason. My last school was a neighborhood school, anyone was let in. And you had all sorts of kids, sports kids, music kids, theater kids, gamer kids. You still have that here, but everyone has a common thread for being here.”
Then, when I asked her what she would like to improve on next year, this was her response: “Breaking news, I won’t be here next year! Due to budgetary reasons, my position was cut here. But the fun part is, I do have a new job, I’ll be working for the school district. I’m going to be on a team that’s in charge of celebrating and recognizing teachers and staff.”
While this is sad news to hear that she will be leaving, she said she would still love to support. She said she hopes to come to the plays still and support LVA, just from afar. She plans to use what she learned from her previous positions to help her with this new path.
One of her favorite LVA memories was the vocal trip she went on to Utah. “It was really fun because I got to see the teachers and students differently. And it was so fun to watch them perform in different venues, see how professional they conduct themselves, and be able to tour as high schoolers.”
One thing you may not know about her is that she loves to play Dungeons and Dragons. While she doesn’t play it weekly anymore, she plays a few times a month. She says it’s a blast and a good way to spend time together.
Thank you, Ms. Jarrell, for all you’ve done, especially in such a short amount of time! LVA will miss you, but we wish you lots of luck at your new position.
