KJHS principal reflects on 38 years of service
After 35 years in the Kosciusko School District — and three earlier years in Lee County — Kosciusko Junior High School Principal Jackie McElwain will retire following this academic year.
McElwain considers herself a proactive leader with a fair, but firm disciplinary style.
“I am proactive rather than reactive. I like to get a handle on things before they start,” she said.
To that end, she has tried to educate students about possible problems before they begin.
“For example, I asked my brother, who is with the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, to come and talk to our eighth graders about issues such as bullying, suicide, vaping and so on. Educating the students beforehand makes a big difference,” she said.
The other sentence that describes her?
“I love ya, but I’m not playing,” she said with a laugh in reference to her disciplinary style.
A graduate of Mississippi State University, McElwain taught in Lee County for three years before moving to Kosciusko. Her first job in Kosciusko was at the junior high, where she taught math for 12 years. For five of those years, she also coached the junior high girls’ basketball team and was an assistant coach for the high school girls’ basketball team.
She later moved to Kosciusko High School where she taught for 18 years.
“I have taught every level of math in grades seven through 12 except geometry,” McElwain said.
During those 18 years, she was also selected as STAR teacher four times. The STAR teacher is selected by the STAR student, who chooses a teacher who has made the most impact on him.
For a few years while at the high school, she also coached the tennis team.
“I did not know the rules and had never played on a team. I really had to learn a lot. Luckily, I like learning new things, and I enjoyed coaching the team,” she said. “Unlike some sports, tennis is a sport that people can play the rest of their lives.”
After a long and successful career in teaching, McElwain said she decided to move into administration at the suggestion of a previous superintendent.
“Dr. McGee suggested that I do it,” she said. “Believe me, I had always said that I would never to back to school and that I would certainly never go to Ole Miss,” said the die-hard MSU fan.
But in the end, she felt like she needed to do it.
“Although I had mentored teachers in the past, there really is not enough time when you are in the classroom all day. Being an administrator freed me up to spend more time focusing on teachers,” she said.
After completing her administrative degree at Ole Miss, McElwain became assistant principal at KJHS for three years before advancing to principal, a position she has held for four years.
The changes she has seen in her 38 years in education are many.
“We now have legislative mandates about how to handle discipline,” she said.
Another big change has come with increased rigor of standards and instruction.
“For example, the standards that I once taught in Algebra I are now taught in seventh and eighth grade math. Kids are just expected to know more and teachers are expected to be more rigorous as they elevate their instruction to these higher standards,” McElwain said.
Other changes have come in leaps and bounds with the rapidly-changing advances in technology.
“You’ll get left behind if you’re not willing to learn,” she said. “I have so many programs and passwords in my brain that sometimes I think that’s all that is up there!”
Grades, testing, absentees and communication with teachers are now technological tasks and McElwain emphasizes that teachers must keep up with these advances.
“You have to be willing to study data and to learn the new advances,” she said.
Another positive change is in the safety of students.
“Our district has really made some great changes in making sure that we are all safe and secure in our buildings,” said McElwain.
Unfortunately, a few negative changes have come about, as well.
“Although our incidents of cyberbullying and bullying in general are minimal, we have found that most of it starts with social media. With social media, kids can just put out there anything they are thinking and don’t use a filter,” said the Principal. “We really strive to educate our students about these issues, and when they do mess up, they rarely do it again.”
Another change with the times has been vaping.
“We have had a few students try it, and we come down pretty hard on them. Normally we don’t get a second offense,” she said.
What has not changed over the years, she said, is parental involvement.
“Kosciusko has always been a district with lots of good parental involvement, and that has never wavered. Our parents really want to be a part of the education of their kids,” McElwain said.
McElwain and her husband, Mike, have two grown sons and two grandchildren. McElwain said she is looking forward to spending more time with the grandkids as well as friends she rarely gets to see.
As for what she will miss, McElwain showed no hesitation.
“The kids. Plus, the junior high staff in phenomenal,” she said through some tears welling up in her eyes. “We are like family, and they are all important to me.”
