Jenna Budney

What does your position entail? 

I teach mostly ninth graders. I teach them World Regional Studies. At the end of the day, I teach economics, which is a mix of all of the grades. And then before school and after school, I work with the dance team.

What does a day in your life look like? 

I wake up and I pet my cats because I love cats. Their names are Venus and Neptune. I normally leave my house at about 6:30 a.m. or 6:45 a.m. in the morning. I normally spend my days at school until around 3:30 p.m., then I go home and play with my cats some more, which is super nice. Since I just moved here, I’m still learning about the area, so I’m really excited to go out and explore different things every night.

What inspired you to go into this field? 

I have always wanted to be a teacher. At first, I thought I was going to be an English teacher. As I started to grow up more, especially in high school and in college, I realized I wanted to be a history teacher. I find it so fascinating that we get to learn about the past and I really want my students to understand that passion that goes along with that. I have been a dancer since I was two. I absolutely love it. It’s like a relaxation tool for me. I am able to combine my job, along with something I love. We have a group of 12 girls and they have made the best impact on me so far so it’s been awesome.

What makes Northwest stand out from other schools? 

The community. Everyone is there for one another. If I need help with something, I can go to anyone. I feel like I can even go to my students for help with technology. I’m not the most tech-savvy teacher, and my students know that. I feel like I can go to everyone for anything, which is a really welcoming environment and something that really brought me to work at the school. 

Highlight of the year so far? 

The highlight of my year was probably the first football game. I coached the dance team, and it was definitely fun. It was their first football game as well, especially since we haven’t had football or any live sports in the past because of COVID-19. It’s been really exciting and it was really nice to see my students outside of school as well.

What are you most looking forward to this year? 

I am most looking forward to making those connections with my students and my colleagues, I had just moved here from the East Coast, so I came here knowing no one. Making those connections is so important so I’m really excited, especially after a year of being online, to be back in the classroom and to be able to teach my students face to face.

What are your goals for the year? 

My goal for this year is just to have fun. I really want to show my students that history and economics is a fun topic. I really want to show them that even if you think a subject is not your strong point, we will get you there and we will have fun in this class. We will learn while we’re having fun.

How can students contact you? jennabudney@smsd.org 

What is one thing you would say to the NW student body? 

I would tell them to have a great year and to keep their head up. Things may seem lost right now, especially with coming back into school after being home for a long time. We’re all working together toward ending what’s happening now. We’ll have a fun year.