The Nest Coffee Shop was filled to the brim this morning with students and staff members, but nobody was there just to order coffee. Balloons and flowers lined the tables as students and staff waited to congratulate Special Education Teacher Jessica King on being the winner of the World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) award.

World Down Syndrome Day is a day dedicated to advocating for the well-being and protection of those with Down Syndrome. Kansas and Missouri had 21 nominees.
King was awarded a certificate of congratulations by the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City for winning the WDSD award. She learned she won the award when she was greeted by hugs and congratulations from her students during first period today, as well as a KMBC 9 news crew.

“I was shocked, I was surprised,” King said. “It’s super exciting. My students are great and I would do this everyday even without awards because I love them so much.”

King was nominated by three different families of special education students at LHS who appreciate her dedication.

“The parents who nominated her wanted to show all the wonderful work she had done for the kids with disabilities here by keeping them active within the community as well as integrating them into the community,” Program Director of the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City JP Deckert said. “This just goes to show her hard work and dedication has really paid off. It’s just tremendous to see people like her doing this kind of work and helping others succeed.”

Many students are frequent customers at The Nest and have encountered one of the many methods King uses to prepare her students for the future. King works in the Essential Skills Classroom and has been a key leader of The Nest, starting it and helping it grow over the years.

Working at The Nest allows her students to build job skills that lead to fulfilling adult lives.

“King is probably one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had the privilege to work with,” principal April Adams said. “She has the world’s biggest heart and she is the most amazing advocate for her students. She creates experiences for her students so they feel part of our school, and with that, they are a large part of our school. Everyday our school is a better place because we get to be greeted with smiles and amazing young people and it’s all by the tone and culture she sets in her classroom and the expectations of learning she has for her students.”