During the morning announcements on Monday, October 23rd, Jackson McNally was labeled as the staff member of the week. As of this year, he is the third staff member of the week. “Mr. McNally is always kind to students and is open to all questions, giving everyone a voice. He always wants to help us and is honest about his grading methods and his goals for us,” said his nominators.

This year marks the first year that McNally has his own classroom and, when asked how this year is different from years prior, he went on to say “I have a home that I can come back to and that I know I’m going to be with my students for the entire year.” McNally hopes that his impact on the students will teach them to “appreciate the opportunity of education that is offered to them and that they will go on to be curious, lifelong learners and continue to grow and develop as thinkers.”

For McNally, the most memorable part of teaching is getting to hear what his students have to say. “Everyday that I come in, I get to hear what the students have to say and how they’re going to engage with a lesson, that’s always memorable.” McNally grew up here in Waterloo which helped with his decision on where he wanted to teach. “I wanted to teach here at West because I wanted to give back to my community. I had a great experience here at West and I wanted to give that same thing to the next generation of young people and young leaders as they come through the Waterloo school system,” McNally shared.

While discussing McNally’s thoughts and feelings about being nominated, he said “it is an honor. It made me smile very hard when they were reading all the nice things my students said, it means a lot coming from my students especially that they look at me and they see me as someone they appreciate and that they feel safe around.” For McNally, being nominated as staff member of the week has been a great experience. “I tried my best to be the best role model I can for my students and to be recognized for that is an awesome feeling.”