Wauneta Vann is a multi-talented individual who knows how to touch her students’ lives, whether it be in a competition, on the field, or in the classroom.
Photo by Suprina Williams
Wauneta Vann is a faculty member here at TJ working in the student services department, and has been for four years. Vann is the SHIELD and Leadership Advisor by day, and a coach of a few programs in the evening, including the Thomas Jefferson Speech and Debate team as well as the Cheerleading squad.
The SHIELD is Thomas Jefferson’s tutoring center and credit recovery room. “Working in the SHIELD allows me the opportunity to work with kids in a very different environment than in a traditional classroom,” said Vann. In addition to her tutoring, Coach Vann’s 8th period leadership class is a course that all cheerleaders are required to take. The class explores the various types of leadership, character, and integrity training that can be applied to leadership in the students’ everyday life. The class also profiles leaders who have changed the world, as well as a healthy relationship unit, and a Woman of Character (WOC) unit that covers what it means to be a woman and a leader in today’s society. The WOC unit also includes guest speakers.
Vann says she enjoys her current job, but also has high aspirations to be a history teacher and possibly a dean later on in her career.
Vann can also be heard as the encouraging voice over the intercom, playing the jams that get the students to class on time. She plays music over the intercom during passing periods to remind students how many minutes they have to get to class. “I think that this generation is very motivated by music. It is my hope that the music lightens everyone’s mood as they move from class to class, hopefully on time,” said Vann, who is constantly working on the tardy issue to help out in any way possible.
Vann is a graduate of Aurora Central High School, after which she proceeded to extend her education at the University of Denver, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts & Sciences, which was completed in 2008. Soon after her graduation she began working at TJ. “She comes from a family that values education. Mrs. Button Bottoms used to teach her during the summers, as a kid. She is a life long leaner; she is always wanting to learn. She even watches the History Channel for fun”, says her closest TJ colleague, Liz Buffington, who shares duties with Vann in the SHIELD Tutoring Center.
Coach Vann said that she grew up in Aurora, Colorado as a quiet child, and it wasn’t until she got into middle school that she became a talkative person. At that point Vann said she was very outgoing and spent a lot time at school. She played volleyball, soccer, and basketball, and also participated in student council and theater. Vann said her hobby was school, but confesses that she actually was not too fond of school until she got involved in extracurricular activities. Vann says her career goal may sound “corny” but she wants to leave a positive impact on as many young people as possible. She says that the teachers who made the biggest impact on her life were her high school teachers, and that is where and when she realized she wanted to be a teacher.
On why she coaches, Vann says,“Coaching allows me to develop a connection with the students, and make a positive impact on students outside of the classroom.” Buffington says that Vann has a big heart, and a hunger to reach out to her students, and even kids who aren’t her students. She says it is rare to find a coach so dedicated to helping improve the lives of youth. Coach Vann says, ”The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
TJ students and faculty agree that Coach Vann’s history explains why she is such a great person to have in your corner. “She is the person that will encourage you to do your best, and won’t give up on you no matter what,” says Kiara Jennkins, a Junior Cheerleader.
