The Waterloo community began “Flipping the Script” on their perception of the school district by highlighting the growing achievements of students and staff members. Recently, Waterloo West High history teacher and assistant coach Jackson McNally was highlighted for “Flipping the Script” on the negative perception of the community as he returned to the district to teach and coach future Wahawks.
“All the opportunities that are here in Waterloo certainly help me recognize that I made the best decision for me. I have deep roots and connections in the community that have helped me get started in my career,” shares McNally. His decision to come back to the district as an educator was his way of changing the perception of the community. “I felt it was my job to come back and try to give that same experience to young people in this area. Waterloo is a great place to grow up, and I am grateful that this community is such a big part of my story,” said McNally, as he goes on to share that teaching is rewarding as he sees students succeed. His goal for this year’s freshmen is to establish the skills needed to have a successful academic career. One of those ways is creating engaging lessons as he teaches freshmen on US History.
One freshman, Anifa Omar, shares her experience within the class, “ Out of all of the classes I have, his is the only class I’m actually engaged in… he makes it so fun, he makes the discussions interesting.” Omar goes on to share, “He doesn’t allow us to use Google, really makes me, like, expand my mind, and like, work harder to try to find the stuff that I need.” Because of this, Omar recommends this class to future freshmen and students.
But teaching isn’t the only way McNally was highlighted for “Flipping the Script,” as he returns to the Wahawk boys swim team as an assistant coach rather than an athlete. During the 2024-25 swim season, the boys won the team’s first dual meet in the last 5 years and shared that multiple athletes qualified for state for the first time in a decade. He hopes to build off of last year’s success for this current season. “Swimming is a bit of a niche sport that many students are unaware of as an option when they come to high school so being featured as a swim coach in the “Flipping the Script” campaign is a great way to increase awareness. The hope is to keep building the program as we move to a unified high school and help more young people discover a love of the water!” shares McNally.
Lane Carlson, a senior on the boys’ swim team, shares the impact that McNally has had on the team. “As soon as McNally came into the coaching job, you could tell the atmosphere changed with a new positive outlook. As a new swimmer, he always treated everybody the same and held them to the same standards,” said Carlson. Bringing a positive mindset and attitude to the sport, where McNally also, “somehow making one of the most physically demanding sports fun,” as Carlson puts it.
McNally was featured for his commitment to flipping the script of West High in the building and in the water. His way of working with high schoolers ensures that they develop their own perception of the world and have a positive impact. Just like his teachers and coaches did for him when he was once in the shoes of these fellow Wahawks.
