WOODBURY — Imagine walking into class first thing on a Monday morning when students are tired and moody. Suddenly, your English teacher brightens your day just by welcoming you with a warm smile. This is one of the many things you can expect from NHS English department faculty Jessica McKay.
You’ll never doze off in Jessica McKay’s class; McKay always finds a way to add excitement to her daily plan and keep her class involved, ranging from music when you walk into the class to engaging activities and games. Beyond just making her classroom inviting, McKay’s students will find everything they need and are welcome to the supplies she makes available, no questions asked: snacks, personal items, pens, pencils, and notebooks. McKay’s classroom is more than just a place where students learn; it’s a space where learning can happen because she’s ensured her classroom addresses the needs of every student.
“I always feel very welcomed in her class, even when everyone is in a bad mood she just does her best to lift the energy in the room,” says sophomore AP Seminar student, Tatum Kociszewski.
McKay’s enthusiastic personality started from a young age. One of McKay’s high school teachers, Dave Green, notes that she has always been optimistic.
“Her attitude, positive energy, and her drive to be excellent at everything is one of my favorite things about her,” said Green. Green worked as an NHS faculty member from 1998-2025 and could see McKay’s contagious energy as a vital ingredient to making her such a successful teacher. “She was like that in high school, and she just built off of that since she has been here.”
Post high school, McKay went to Southern Connecticut State University to pursue her love for teaching.
My undergrad is obviously certification,” says McKay, “my master’s is in English as well, and then I have a second master’s in educational leadership.”
McKay knew from high school she wanted to be an energized and a committed teacher, but she became inspired by one teacher in her high school career and followed her passion through college at SCU.
“When I was in high school we had this teacher, Mrs. Margiada,” says McKay, remembering the moments that catalyzed her passion for working with young people. “She was so enthusiastic and was super supportive of me finding all my passion with English. She was just somebody who made English and learning fun but she’s my inspiration, she’s my role model.”
Having a teacher like that for her inspiration taught her her tactics not only in the classroom but in PL [professional learning] classes, too.
McKay is admired by teachers due to her energetic personality and love for writing, creating, and inspiring through the language.
McKay’s talent isn’t just readily obvious to her students, but her colleagues appreciate her passion for her craft.
“My favorite thing is her enthusiasm for teaching and learning,” says Kathryn Aseltine, a colleague of McKay’s since 2012. “She shows up with a smile and is always kind to her peers and fellow teachers.”
Her enthusiasm leads into her classroom where she tries to incorporate lots of things that are engaging for high school students.
“I like how Mrs. McKay does a lot of stuff where we’re moving around in the classroom and she lets us pick who we want to work with most of the time,” says sophomore English student Gianna DeLorenzo. “Her teaching also includes a lot of hands-on, posters, and group work versus other teachers who teach, let you practice, and then test.”
Not only does McKay make her classes engaging, she also works to meet the needs of her students.
“I try to think of the interests of the students,” says McKay. “[I also consider] the needs of the students, and try to put myself in their position. [As an instructor, I’m considering] what would bore me versus what would be exciting, along with paying attention to the needs of the kids.”
Many students enjoy how fun she makes her lessons including games with prizes and lots of hands-on activities.
“She incorporates games and competitions to help us learn a lot about subjects that she might be teaching or like quizzes that we might have coming up,” said DeLorenzo.
Aside from McKay’s fun teaching style she is also extremely helpful in other avenues, helping students anywhere from an AP level to college prep class. Regardless of the course, McKay’s instructional style makes learning come to life.
“She’s very helpful and understanding when it comes to work,” says sophomore AP Seminar student Cameron Ouellette. “I have done a lot of my [best] work in class thanks to her.”
Beyond the class room, McKay never fails to pick up the mood when working alongside her co-workers.
“Mrs. McKay is a great coworker,” says honors biology and integrated science teacher Joshua Kornblut. “She is very supportive, always in a good mood, comes in with a positive attitude and is always there to help if you need it.”
Beyond being an asset to her fellow colleagues, there’s one attribute that NHS faculty especially laud: McKay’s kindness. One of McKay’s closest colleges, Maura White, shares what about McKay makes her such a valuable teacher.
“Some of my favorite things about Mrs. McKay are that she is so kind and thoughtful,” says White. “She always thinks about others and does so many things for other people quietly without ever looking for praise — but she deserves tons of it.”
