2014 Charter School Association of Nevada
Innovator of the Year!

Click here for Ms. J-Lynn's CV.

Ms. J-Lynn Van Pelt

Middle School Principal, Co-Director and Co-Founder

ms.j-lynn@academyoflit.org
Getting The Honors Academy of Literature up and running from a theoretical application to a fully functioning school in under a year has been a labor of love. As we continue to grow and plan for future years, we are bolstered by passionate stakeholders. We are moving toward a collective vision of progressive education that is student-centered and interactive. And I hope that our journey for the best educational environment continues to change with each school year and each new group of students.

As the middle school principal, I am especially proud of several parts of our school that I want to highlight.
  • Challenging middle school norms. Middle school is where we can offer the most different approach to instruction. We are breaking the mold and creating middle school classrooms modeled around best practices, small group instruction, and differentiation as a norm.  
  • Teachers as professionals. We continue to implement extensive on-going professional development. This time allows for our teachers to stay current on best practices, collectively brainstorm solutions to problems, have a Democratic say in the functioning of the school, and collaborate weekly as a close-knit team.  
  • Social justice. Including diversity and education equity as part of our mission statement has enabled our students to become community leaders. In classes, they look at curriculum with a wider view of the world. And outside of classes, they continue to design philanthropic volunteer opportunities to make their own world a better place.
Being a part of an innovative educational community continues to be both a challenging and a fun-filled endeavor. We are always looking for new stakeholders, advocates, and community partners to add to our team!

​J-Lynn Van Pelt
Director of Programs Middle Principal