We are delighted to welcome Ms. Jessica Hays delighted to St. Cletus School. She has been a teacher for sixteen years and has only recently moved to Illinois. She grew up in a military family where both her mother and father were officers in The United States Navy. Because of this, travel has been a way of life for her since she was small and has given her many cherished and unique experiences. She attended a Catholic College outside of Philadelphia called Rosemont College and initially went to school to become a graphic artist. Later, she found teaching to be much more personally rewarding and focused on the field of education. She earned my M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction in 2010 and has taught in urban, suburban, and rural environments within The United States and abroad. She also had has had the opportunity to teach in positions from early childhood education all the way to the graduate level. While the ages of my students have varied as well as the locations she has taught, one thing has remained the same. She has always tried to find a way to reach each pupil and allow them to feel their own worth inside and outside the classroom. As a certified art teacher she tries to incorporate the arts into her lessons in various ways. She is a fan of sports and endeavors to model a healthy and active lifestyle for her students. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been a large part of her life for over a decade and she likes to compete in tournaments as well as coach. It is important to her for the students to be able to move around and she loves games as a method of instruction. Whether it’s an icebreaker activity for social emotional learning, or a game of foursquare during recess, she enjoys incorporating it. She feel privileged to be at a school with such a sense of community and know that the academic year of 2021-2022 will be a positive experience for myself as well as the children.