Ms. Sage Honored by Belleville High School Board

At the April school board meeting, BW Principal Rich Mertens honored English teacher Ms. Jennifer Sage. In recognizing Ms. Sage, he made the following comments:

Jennifer Sage has taught in the English Department at Belleville West for more than 20 years.  Before that, she taught language arts at Signal Hill Grade School, one of our feeder schools.  During her time at West, Jennifer has demonstrated her versatility by teaching a wide variety of courses—including freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and senior electives such as Creative Writing, Novel Seminar, and Appreciation of Theatre.  She has been the lead teacher of the English 5-6 Honors course for nearly a decade.

Beyond teaching her students the skills of reading, writing, and speaking, Jennifer teaches students to listen to each other, to make responsible decisions, and bto become mature young adults.

Jennifer has been a fixture in the Belleville West theatre since she joined the faculty.  She directed the annual fall play and worked as the technical director for the spring musical in her early years at West.  She served as the choreographer for the children’s play for more than 10 years.  She drove a 24-foot rental truck for the contest play for 15 shows.  And she has directed the spring musical for the last eleven years.  Her twelfth musical—Anything Goes—will take the West stage this April 28 through 30.

Jennifer has volunteered her time to the BW Harambee organization almost since its inception.  She assists with the group’s annual show for Black History Month, organizes the annual Soul Food tasting day, and accompanies students on their trip each summer.

What may be most impressive about Jennifer is her generous spirit.  She serves on the district’s English 5-6 curriculum team, dedicating countless hours to the construction of content and assessments.  She devotes time to provide thoughtful feedback on student writing—even when that writing isn’t for her class.   She supervises undergraduate observers and student teachers, shepherding new teachers into the profession.  She directs a group of students for a performance in the school’s annual Shakespeare festival.  She fosters strong relationships with new teachers, sharing materials and advice from her years of experience.

On any weekend of the school year, you’re likely to find Jennifer Sage in her classroom, grading papers or preparing for the week ahead.  The time, care, and hard work that she invests in her teaching are models for her students and for her colleagues.

Thank you, Jennifer, for everything that you do for your students, for Belleville West, and for the community.