Jessica Gumness has been a teacher and Jag Advisor at Stanley-Boyd for three years, but she has had a desire to help youth for much longer. Growing up, Jessica was faced with her own struggles and discovered the courage and drive inside herself to overcome them. Today she is equipping students who also face their own struggles to rise above their challenges and accomplish their dreams and goals. “I am very passionate about helping others with varying abilities!” Jessica says. “I didn’t always want to be a teacher, but I knew I wanted to work with youth,” she says honestly. She chose to become a teacher after being told what she couldn’t do. “I chose teaching because when I was in school, I had a teacher tell me I wouldn’t accomplish my goals of going to college because of my barriers. I don’t ever want students to feel the way that I did. I want to help encourage students that they can achieve their goals and help support them as much as I can. We all have barriers of some kind when we are working towards our goals. I want to help students understand what those barriers are and how they can overcome them,” she explains. And now she is changing lives, one student at a time.
Jessica’s family has had an exciting start. Thirteen years ago, Jessica married her husband Carl who was a Senior Airman in the Air Force. For the first six years of their marriage Jessica and Carl lived in Wichita, Kansas while Carl was in active duty in the Air Force and there, they had their son Cashton who will be nine at the end of March. After that they returned home to Wisconsin, their youngest son Clayton, who will be six at the end of March, was born. Together they have lived in Bloomer for the past six years with their two dogs Zuzu and Zohan and their thirty-five chickens! When she isn’t shaping the lives of students around her, Jessica is a dedicated mother who loves spending time with her family and mentions that they really enjoy doing anything outdoors.
“We live in the country and love hiking through our woods, gardening and fishing! We also like to explore the state parks/lakes in the summer!”
Jessica shares that one of her family’s favorite spots to travel to is Duluth. “Duluth is our favorite place because it has so many different outdoor activities for all ages. Our kids love exploring all of the beaches in Duluth along with nearby trails and waterfalls!”
Jessica gives back to her community by taking an active role in her Church, Bloomer United Methodist and participating in her sons’ school and sporting events.
In 2011, Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in Vocational Rehabilitation with a concentration in Recreational Rehabilitation and minor in Coaching from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She then went back to the University of Wisconsin-Stout for her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and graduated in 2020. Jessica explains why she chose to continue her career at Stanley-Boyd High School. “I chose to come to Stanley Boyd because they were starting up a new program called JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates), and is a national program in over 2000 schools across the nation.” She adds that she had the opportunity to help start up and continue with the program that focuses on students who may have little or big struggles find their path after high school.
“I get to bring in many different career exploratory options like hands on learning, guest speakers, campus tours, and business tours! The staff here have made me feel welcomed and supported as I am newer in the teaching world!”
It is gearing up to be a busy season for the JAG program at Stanley-Boyd and Gumness is excited for the upcoming events. “I am taking twenty students to the Kalahari Convention Center for a Youth Leadership Conference March 19-20 (All students expenses are covered by our program)! I will also be taking three students to St. Louis Missouri to compete at JAG National Career Development Conference April 17th-21st (all expenses paid by our program)!”
As a student, Jessica was active in high school and college where she played volleyball, basketball and track. To this day, her favorite sport is still volleyball! In high school, Jessica was inspired by her weightlifting coach, Mr. Brodt. She describes the impact he made on her life. “He knew some of my own personal barriers I was faced with in school. He was transparent with me about his own daughter who had the same struggles. He helped encourage me to do better and that I could reach my goals.”
Gumness’s empathy and compassion for her students has proved to be one of her biggest struggles as an educator. “The hardest challenge is hearing about students’ barriers and life struggles. I try to help them as much as I can, I invest a lot of time into my students. It is really hard when I see them struggling with things that I am unable to help with.”
She comments that if she wasn’t a teacher, she would be a mental health counselor. As a new educator, many times Jessica is learning right alongside her students. “The biggest thing I have learned is that sometimes students don’t get to go home to a support system, so when they come to school and are at the school, we the teachers are their biggest support. I have learned that my care for the students is infinite!”
Working with her students, Jessica makes it a point to really understand where they are coming from, and she truly cares about her students and their successes. She hopes the parents of her students can feel the support and attention that she imparts to each of her students. “I want the parents to know that I prioritize understanding who the kids are that I am working with. I can’t help them achieve their goals if I don’t understand their background, current and end points. I tailor my lessons to the needs of my students to ensure we are helping them connect their pathways to their future goals.” And sometimes being a supportive educator means guiding her students to do hard things. Jessica adds, “Sometimes the biggest growth with students happens when they step out of their comfort zones!” Working with her students is rewarding to Jessica and she truly enjoys seeing their growth and accomplishments. “I love seeing the little and big changes that happen with my students. I love seeing them working towards their future goals! I also love all the fun trips and activities,” she adds. Jessica explains that even when her students graduate, as a JAG advisor, she still remains active in their lives. “For a full year after graduation students will maintain contact with me to ensure they are fully supported after graduation. I make sure they are taking steps towards their career goals, and I can step in when they need help!”
Jessica Gumness is one of the many selfless teachers at the Stanley-Boyd Area School District who is dedicated to giving back to her students and her community in countless ways. She is very passionate about helping others with varying abilities and will make a difference in the lives of those around her for years to come!
