30 Under 30: Jackee Key
Special Education Teacher, Assistant Girls’ Basketball Coach, JHS
Words by Thomas Ingle and Al Blanton | Image by Ryan McGill
At one point in school, Jackee Key admitted she never wanted to be a coach or a teacher. Now, she is molding young minds as a special education teacher and assistant varsity girls’ coach at Jasper High School.
Jackee grew up in the town of Lynn, Alabama, and graduated from Lynn High School. A four-sport athlete, Jackee collected all-state honors in volleyball, basketball, and softball while playing for the Lady Bears. After high school, she played junior college basketball at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama. She later obtained her undergraduate degree from Athens State College and her master’s degree from The University of Alabama.
Jackee’s teaching career began in 2014 when she was hired as a paraprofessional at Winston County High School. In 2018, she moved to Dora High School for a year before joining the faculty at Jasper High School, where she has been for the last four years.
When Jackee arrived at JHS, she hoped some changes could be made in the way the school implemented the special education program. Enter the Success Program.
“The Success Program is a program that I proposed to our board of education designed for special needs students that allows them a more typical high school experience than a typical self-contained classroom,” Jackee says.
Within the program, special needs students are split into homogenous groups and switch classes like their high school peers. There are three self-contained teachers in the program that are departmentalized so students get to go to different teachers for different subjects.
Jackee believes the program has helped tremendously with student behavior, test scores, and the students’ involvement with their general education peers.
Her impact through this program helped her win Teacher of the Year at Jasper High School in 2022-23.
Jackee also found success on the hardwood this past season, as the Jasper girls’ basketball team completed one of the best years in school history, posting a 32-3 record and reaching the regional finals. “Coaching girls’ basketball is one of my favorite things to do,” Jackee says. “I have had the pleasure of seeing the girls’ program grow at Jasper over the last few years. We have some great athletes in that program who work hard and are fun to coach. I love them dearly. I hope to be teaching them a lot more than just basketball!”
Jackee's next goal is to obtain her administration degree and become a special education coordinator. No matter the direction her educational career takes her, Jackee is certain to positively impact those entrusted to her care. 78