'Short' term memories

Jamie Short has been teaching science and math at Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow High School for five years. She is leaving after half a decade to be closer to her family in Worland where she grew up.

After graduating high school, Short went to Northwest College, the University of Alaska and graduated from the University of Wyoming.

She graduated with an education degree in science.

She started teaching in Casper at a middle school as a late hire. She finished the school year and then taught in Powell.

"Powell is sort of my home area and I really love the place," Short said. "I worked in Powell and Cody, then I took a position here so I could teach science."

She took on teaching math later as she worked at HEM.

Short has working in education for 11 years.

"I really like small communities like Hanna, because I feel you get to know the kids better, I feel like I can do more one on one with them," Short said. "It has been a wonderful feeling having students get back in touch with me telling me how much my science course has helped them in college."

There was one student that made a point of coming back to tell Short how important her science course was to her life.

"The student has been gone a few years," Short said. "She just fell in love with science and she is graduating now from college with a degree in microbiology. That made me feel really good that I got to open the door to student's passion."

Short said the staff at HEM and Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) have been excellent in all the interactions she has had with them.

"All the science teachers in CCSD2 have been great to work with," Short said. "They are a wonderful group of people."

She said the students have impressed her with the commitment to learn.

"I am really going to miss the kids," Short said. "I am also going to really miss my science buddy, Lindsey Boardman, just because we were next door and have the same interests. I am also going to miss Jennifer Bowen, because I have been working prom and she was my prom buddy. She is so helpful and organized."

Short recently got married and her husband supports her moving closer to her family.

She has a job teaching science lined up.

"I am going to really miss everyone and I will miss seeing all the growth that students make from the beginning of the year until the end," Short said. "I am really going miss this place."