Farlow at New Hope named county’s top secondary support professional

Jessica Farlow at New Hope High School has been named Secondary Support Professional of the Year for Madison County Schools. (CONTRIBUTED)

NEW HOPE – Jessica Farlow at New Hope High School has been named Secondary Support Professional of the Year for Madison County Schools.

Farlow works as a computer lab assistant and is facilitator for online ACCESS classes (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide).

“I communicate students’ daily progress and curriculum among ACCESS students and teachers,” Farlow said. “This entails progress concerns, quiz and exam passwords, student attendance and additional curriculum support.”

In addition, she repairs technology issues. “In the ACCESS classroom, I constantly check and update the network, Internet and programs,” Farlow said. Other job duties include reporting STAR Test updates to the assistant principal and monitoring students working on special assignments in the computer lab.

Previously, she worked as a special education aide at New Hope and also for Palco Telecom.

“Having a job in the education field gives me the opportunity to learn and teach every day,” Farlow said. “I absolutely love working with my administrators, co-workers and students. I’m thankful to work with a fantastic, close group of people. They all bring so much joy to my job.”

She grew up in Big Cove and graduated from Madison County High School and Calhoun Community College. She plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Athens State University in May 2016.

Her husband Allen works in IT support for Alutiiq.

“I’m a busy lady — working full time and finishing my degree,” Farlow said. “In my spare time, I love to bake and watch movies with my husband. Most of all, I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends.”

“There are so many great and deserving people (in Madison County). You are all great at what you do or you wouldn’t be here,” Jeff Anderson said. Anderson is president of Madison County Schools Board of Education.

A committee of district teachers and former recipients selected the Support Professional of the Year.