LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jill Clayton was nominated by her colleague, Phyliss Boatwright.

"After a successful career as a scientist, Jill Clayton came to Roxboro Community School five years ago as a biotechnology teacher," explains Boatwright. "She has written this course from scratch and added an additional course level each year so that students can continue to learn more about this field."

As she has designed the courses and written the curriculum, she has intentionally provided her students with regular interactive and experiential activities to help them learn the content and instill in them a passion for the subject to inspire future healthcare professionals and scientists.

When she began transitioning from the previously offered agriculture science to biotech, Mrs. Clayton continued teaching the agriculture classes along with biotech so that those students who had been in the agriculture program could finish their program of study.

When she arrived at Roxboro Community School, she didn't have any materials or equipment for providing hands-on activities for students to practice concepts they were learning. Every year since her arrival, she has written and received grants to allow the school to purchase lab equipment that will enable students to learn from hands-on practice. Mrs. Clayton has also taught personal finance classes and brought in community leaders in the financial sector to allow students to learn from practicing professionals.

Mrs. Clayton advises the HOSA – health occupations club – at RCS, giving students encouragement and instruction in health occupations. One grant that Mrs. Clayton wrote and received was for CPR mannequins, allowing students to learn vital lifesaving skills. Mrs. Clayton advises the Bulldogs Bloom Club, which plants and maintains a pollinator garden here at school. She was also an advisor to the senior class for two years. She worked tirelessly to ensure the graduating classes had the best possible experience during their senior year.

"Mrs. Clayton constantly goes above and beyond her role as a teacher. She truly connects with her students and builds strong relationships with them. Many times, I have witnessed her love and compassion for young people. She truly wants to make a difference in their lives and to give them the best possible chance for success beyond high school," said Boatwright.

This year, Mrs. Clayton is serving as Roxboro Community School's Teacher of the Year. She was nominated and chosen by her peers because of the unwavering devotion she shows to her students and school. In his recommendation for North Carolina Teacher of the Year, her principal wrote the following:

"Mrs. Clayton has done an exceptional job growing RCS's health sciences program. We currently offer Health Sciences I and II and will expand to III. In her relatively short time at RCS, she has made this series of courses one of our most popular. She has also done an exceptional job of acquiring resources for this program and the personal finance course, which is now a North Carolina high school graduation requirement. She has acquired funding from the North Carolina Go Outside Grant, the Piedmont Electric Bright Ideas Grant, and Carolina Farm Credit. Mrs. Clayton has also acquired funding from Next Gen Personal Finance, where she also supported one of our high school students in earning a $1,000 scholarship. Whether Mrs. Clayton is providing instruction on a budget plan, dissecting pigs...or some other activity supporting the overall RCS program, she always has a smile and is willing to assist in whatever capacity she can. She is student-centered and consistently establishes positive relationships with her students that aid in management, as well as positive relationships with her colleagues. Mrs. Clayton is an asset to RCS." 

"Mrs. Clayton is humble and does not like to draw attention to herself, but the school's administrators and I believe she is most worthy of the title of  LifeChanger, for she truly changes students' lives on a daily basis," said Boatwright.