Elizabeth Jones is extremely happy with how the year is going so far and her new students have been great. “The first few weeks have been amazing!” Said Jones.

The new school year brings about excitement, new experiences, and uncertainty, not only for students throughout the district but also for new teachers. For Ms. Elizabeth Jones, a first year instructional assistant at Newbury Elementary, the start of this year marks an exciting new chapter for her.“I am so excited that I have finally been given the opportunity to be a fifth grade instructional assistant for this year”, said Jones.

This is Jones’ first year teaching in the district, although she has had some experience with the district in the past.

Some students at Triton have siblings who went to Triton before them, and Elizabeth  Jones is in a similar situation. Her mother, Sheila Jones, was a beloved English teacher at the Triton High School until she left in the late nineties. According to school secretary, Mrs. Kimberly Wright, who started at Triton in the same year Jones left, Jones was an “award-winning teacher who was great with kids.” Current English teacher, Mrs. Melissa Davis, was one of her students before she left and also remembers her fondly.

“She could be a little intimidating at first,” said Davis, “but she was great, you could tell she really loved kids. She might be part of the reason I teach now.”

Jones also cites her mother as one of the reasons she became a teacher. “I probably received some of my teaching skills from her. She used to teach English at Triton High School and would bring me in when I was around six years old.” Jones said that she has always wanted to be a teacher like her mother. “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I would make my younger sisters sit down and I would ‘teach’ them math, or read stories to them.”

Before working at Newbury Elementary, Jones graduated from Gordon College before working as a preschool teacher in Newburyport for two years. With this preparation, Jones says she felt completely ready for what the new school year has brought so far and that she’s excited for what the future will bring.