LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jennifer Devereaux was nominated by her principal, Kory Kalahar.

Ms. Devereaux was most recently awarded the 2017 Chelan County Excellence Award in teaching.  She is an amazing educator who has completely thrown herself 100% into her job as an English teacher at WestSide High. In her two years back in education, she has undertaken so much in her school's English department. Her work in understanding the state standards and assessments, combined with the way she is empowering her students to truly understand what they need to accomplish and where the bar of high expectations is held, is beyond comparison.

The school's assessment scores and completion rates are steadily moving in the right direction because of Ms. Devereaux. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, her compassion for students goes above and beyond in every way. She continually takes on the most challenging students and works closely with them to help them find success when they couldn’t on their own. She truly embodies the WestSide teaching mentality.

With all of this, Ms. Devereaux decided to jump into her National Board Certification program, becoming the first WestSide teacher to take on such a challenge. According to her colleagues, she exhibits several key qualities that make her a true LifeChanger:

INITIATIVE - Ms. Devereaux is an inspiring, hard-working teacher and mentor who goes far above and beyond her regular duties every day to find solutions and opportunities for her students and colleagues. Her high standards are an inspiration to her colleagues at WestSide and beyond. She is committed to helping each student reach high and rigorous goals, both in their academic and personal lives. Her pursuit of National Board Certification and the leadership roles she takes on at WestSide demonstrate her dedication to maintaining the highest standards of her profession. Ms. Devereaux took the initiative to apply for a grant for WestSide teachers to attend an ACEs Conference this summer.

PEOPLE FIRST -  Ms. Devereaux takes a personal interest in the students and cares deeply about what is best for each one. She also gives a lot of extra time to help organize activities for the teachers and students that help them become the best they can be.

POSITIVE - Ms. Devereaux always arrives with a smile for everyone. She has a positive and enthusiastic disposition around both staff and students. It's infectious. She is a committed team player, and her colleagues enjoy sharing students with her.  Her dedication to the individual is inspiring. She is a huge proponent for student success.  She often contacts parents and works at helping students make plans for their success. Ms. Devereaux goes the second and third miles to provide students with successful interactions and positive choices for success.

Ms. Devereaux has created a program called "Lunch Buddies," that allows WestSide High School students the opportunity to be a mentor to the elementary students. Every Thursday, she takes a group of students to a local elementary school to have lunch and play with the children at recess. The high school students enjoy being mentors to the younger students, and the school has even seen a reduction in behavioral issues.

She has also arranged to have a volunteer from the local Humane Society, go to WestSide high school to train students on walking dogs. Ms. Devereaux takes rotating groups of students to the Humane Society every Tuesday to walk and spend time with the dogs. By volunteering their time, It has benefitted both the students and the animals. Ms. Devereaux is currently working on her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership to become a Principal. 

Jennifer Devereaux in The News:
Westside's Devereaux nominated for LifeChanger Award