JAMESTOWN – Jefferson Middle School students and staff on Monday surprised their Health & Attendance Clerk, Yvonne Jespersen, with an emotional send-off.
Ms. Jespersen, an Army Reservist, is being deployed to Kuwait for a year to instruct non-commissioned soldiers in leadership courses to become officers. The entire school lined the hallways to clap and cheer for Ms. Jespersen and her two daughters. Every classroom gave her a flower as a tribute.
“We wanted to give Yvonne a very special send-off today,” said Jefferson Middle School Assistant Principal Carol Smith. “She’s very special to us and we are very grateful for her service in the military. We snuck around the building and told all the kids to wear red, white and blue. It was a big, building-wide secret but the kids and the staff did great! We are blessed to have her on staff and grateful for her service”
Ms. Jespersen was overwhelmed with the send-off.
“I can’t believe the whole student body and the faculty came together like that – it was phenomenal. They have always been a family and I love the building,” Jesperson said. “I’m totally surprised the whole building kept a secret and I’m floored. You feel special already and then they do something like this and it tells you how much you mean to everyone and it feels really good.”
