Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept-Oct 2018

48 www.VoteBestOfMP.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ClemsonCarolinaTickets.com feature F or Mount Pleasant Academy Elementary School Principal Kim Jackson, being an educator is in her DNA. She recalled as a first grader bringing home stacks of worksheets and books from class and “forcing” her friends to play school in her parents’ garage. “So I’ve been a teacher since then,” proclaimed Jackson. “I’ve never thought of being anything else.” After earning her undergraduate degree in early childhood education at South Carolina State University, Jackson waited 15 years to pursue her master’s in elementary administration because she hadn’t entertained other career paths. “Even when I first got my master’s, I wanted to be a teacher,” said Jackson. Now she is a leader of educators. Jackson, who recently finished her first year as Mount Pleasant Academy’s principal, replaced her long-serving predecessor, Jane Davis, who retired after heading the school for 29 years. “It was an amazing year,” reflected Jackson. “I loved every minute of it. The best part was getting to see the kids when they come in every morning and then getting to say goodbye when they leave every afternoon. And really connecting with the kids.” Although it was her first year as a principal, Jackson is a veteran of the Charleston County School District, where she has served in various capacities since 1993. A native Charlestonian, she attended local schools including Whitesides Elementary, James B. Edwards Elementary (where she was part of the first graduating class), Moultrie Middle and Wando High School. She has worked at Belle Halle Elementary, Charles Pinckney Elementary, Edith L. Frierson Elementary, Jerry Zucker Middle, Sullivan’s Island Elementary and even returned to her alma mater as the assistant principal at James B. Edwards. “I tell people all the time I’ve been a student or a teacher in almost every school in Mount Pleasant,” noted Jackson. “Being able to support a school in Mount Pleasant has clearly been my destiny from the beginning.” BY COLIN MCCANDLESS Fulfilling Her Destiny Lifelong Educator Leads Mount Pleasant Academy Photos provided by Kim Jackson.