8/17/2005 - Jennifer Koon receives MMA 2005 Award for Excellence in Vocational Education

JACKSON, Miss. (Aug. 17, 2005) - Jennifer Koon of Booneville is the 2005 recipient of the MMA Award for Excellence in Vocational Education. Koon, vocational counselor at Prentiss County Vocational Technical School, was presented the award Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the school. The Award for Excellence in Vocational Education was established in 1994 to encourage, recognize and reward individuals who are active in advancing vocational education in Mississippi. Nominations for the award are made by the MMA membership, and the winner is selected by an evaluation committee appointed by the MMA Workforce Development committee. As the Award for Excellence winner, Koon received a $2,500 cash award and a plaque during the presentation. She was also awarded a complimentary trip to the 2005 MMA annual convention in October. Koon believes that a top vocational-technical education program includes many people from the fields of education, business and industry working together for the good of students. She often applies for and receives grants in order to provide additional opportunities for her students. Among her accomplishments last year, Koon obtained a $1,000 grant to take instructors and second-year vocational students to tour the Nissan assembly plant in Canton, Miss. She regularly schedules student tours of businesses and industries in Prentiss County. Last February she obtained a $500 grant to sponsor a career and technical fair for Prentiss County junior and senior students, focusing on post-secondary vocational-technical options. More than 500 attended the fair, which featured businesses, industries, trade and technical schools, the armed forces and community college representatives. “Being involved with business and industry helps me to keep abreast of what is happening in the real world,” says Koon. “I feel that all educators need as much exposure as possible to places where we are preparing our students to be employed. The students also need to be exposed to different types of workplaces so they will realize the types of skills that are needed to succeed. “Through visiting industries, I learn the types of training programs that different industries offer. I can return to my school with the knowledge and physical information I need to share with my students,” she said. Koon has worked with the Prentiss County vocational education program since August 2001. She previously was a counselor at Wheeler Attendance Center and an instructor at New Site High School and Aberdeen Junior High School. Koon is a National Certified Counselor and a National Certified School Counselor. She currently serves as president of the Northeast Region of the Mississippi Counseling Association, and is past president of the Prentiss County chapter of the Mississippi Association of Educators. She was named Mississippi’s Most Outstanding High School Sponsor for 1998 and was named Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2004 and 2005. Koon is a member of the Mississippi Counseling Association, the American Counseling Association and the National Tech Prep Network. Koon is a member of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Baldwyn and an associate member of the Booneville Junior Auxiliary. She has one daughter, Molly. Photo: Congratulating Jennifer Koon, center, at a ceremony held at Prentiss County Vocational Technical School are, from left, Sen. J.P. Wilemon (D-Belmont); Jay C. Moon, CEcD, MMA president and CEO; John Baas, MMA director of industrial relations; and James Sardin, associate director of the Mississippi Department of Education.

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