Part of an ongoing series featuring the teachers nominated for Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher of the Year honors.

“This is what I was meant to do,” said Stacy Vaughn.

The Sherman Avenue Elementary STEM and science lab teacher said she knew at an early age she wanted to be a teacher.

After spending three years as an assistant elementary teacher and three more as a high school teacher, Vaughn has spent the last two years at Sherman Avenue.

“I love helping children learn, and explore the world,” Vaughn said. “I was inspired by my 2nd-grade teacher at JPS (Jackson Public Schools), Mrs. Johnson; she was the best. She saw how passionate I was to help and made me her helper. I was tutoring classmates, being a study buddy, reading buddy, anything I could do to be like her.”

Vaughn said her favorite moment in teaching is seeing when “the kids make the connection, and the light bulb comes on.”

“I know when I see that they have got it and we have bridged that gap,” Vaughn said. “Every day something new and exciting happens as they learn a little more. I love listening to their little adventures. I love interacting with children and it gives me joy every time I share something new. I try my best to connect the content that they are learning to real-world experiences and clear up any misconceptions that they may have.”

Vaughn said she is honored to be recognized and nominated as the Teacher of the Year from Sherman Avenue.

“Sherman Avenue has some amazing educators who strive every day to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve,” Vaughn said. “I feel so blessed to be able to fulfill my passion every day. It is truly an honor to be recognized for it by the people that have taught me so much through our experiences together. Receiving this nomination was just amazing.”

The Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce will choose one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year at the chamber luncheon Feb. 20. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runner-up for each award will receive $500 from Mutual Credit Union.

Vaughn said if she is selected as the top educator, she would try her best to promote literacy.

“Reading skills are the basis for teaching all other skills in education,” Vaughn said. “I have taught in high school and elementary and we need to improve literacy for all students. I want our kids to compete on the global scale and literacy is the way to accomplish that. While being at the elementary school, I have gained a deeper understanding of the systematic approach to reading and the importance of targeting the deficits in the learning of children.”