Humphrey Teacher, Bolingbrook Woman is VFW’s District Teacher of the Year

Humphrey Middle School eighth grade social studies teacher Jana Reeves has been named the Veterans of Foreign Wars District 18 “Teacher of the Year.”

Reeves, a Bolingbrook resident, now advances to the statewide competition. Reeves will be honored Saturday during a dinner at the New Lenox VFW Post. She was nominated for the district honor after being chosen Teacher of the Year by Bolingbrook VFW Post 5917.

“Every year I try to show my gratitude for the men and women in the armed forces, so this is a great honor to be receiving this award,” said Reeves, who has been at Humphrey since 2005. “The activities that I do in my classes are the least I could do to show my appreciation for those who sacrifice their loves for our freedom.”

Among this school year’s activities in Reeves’ classroom was a Veteran’s Day visit by a Vietnam veteran to share his experiences. Students also wrote Veteran’s Day letters to members of the Joliet Army Unit Echo 634th to show their appreciation for their service.

Last year, she headed up a Sept. 11 Humphrey effort to put together an “Our Heroes” bulletin board featuring photos of family members of staff who either were currently serving or had served in the military. In addition, the student body wrote comments of appreciation for the military, policemen and firemen on strips of red, white and blue paper and made a chain which was hung in the hallways. And she made arrangements to take the entire 8th grade class to see Redtails, a movie about World War II air pilots.

Reeves’ family history is filled with men who served in the U.S. Army. Her husband, Capt. Halton Reeves III, who is currently in his 23rd year in the Army National Guard, has done two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two of her brothers served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), and her grandfather was a veteran of the Korean War. 

In past years, Humphrey students wrote letters to Capt. Reeves’ unit while he was deployed overseas, with many soldiers writing back to the students. Two of his soldiers, both Humphrey graduates, visited the school to talk to students when they returned from Afghanistan. Capt. Reeves also visited the school to present a U.S. Flag flown in Afghanistan that still sits in a case in the main Humphrey hallway.

“Jana’s work with veterans really opens the students’ eyes and minds to see that people within our school families and in the area have been involved in major conflicts that they learn about in her class,” said Humphrey Principal Dan Laverty.  “She has allowed students to see that there is more to events in history beyond the textbook.”

Editor's note: This is a press release from Valley View School District 365U. 

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