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April 23, 2024 - Tracee Thompson, a 20-year English teacher at Jim Hill Senior High School, was recently selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).

The award is named after one of the organization's founders, Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. The Educator of Distinction recognizes outstanding role models who have made a lasting difference in a student's life by encouraging them to strive for excellence.    

Each year, student members of NSHSS are invited to nominate the educator who has made the most significant contribution to their academic career for the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction award. A role model to pupils, Tracee was nominated by a student for outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence in the profession.  

In 2008, Thompson brought her expertise to Mississippi to teach English II in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Jim Hill High School. From 2017 – 2019, Ms. Thompson served as a High School Subject Area Supervisor in the JPS curriculum department.

Any mentee who was coached by Ms. Thompson can attest to her passion, expansive content knowledge, and integrity, but her heart is for the students in her classroom.

"My students are my driving force," Ms. Thompson said. "I live to see them become the best readers and writers they can be and appreciate the power that literature, both fiction and non-fiction, has to offer." 

The 20-year eduacator says her mother was her first teacher.

"She taught me the need to be educated. She made sure I attended integrated schools to learn to get along with others, and to understand that I was competing with all types of people. She showed me how to work hard and  always encouraged me to choose a career that I loved."