Fifth grade teacher, Belleville West coach joins District 118 administration
Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, Sydnee Jackson will be the assistant principal at Abraham Lincoln Elementary — the school she’s taught at for the past eight years.
Currently, Jackson is a 5th grade teacher at the school, but she has also taught 4th grade there. During her District 118 tenure, Jackson has coached Belleville West High School’s girls volleyball and West Junior High’s girls and boys track, and held a slew of leadership positions at Abraham Lincoln.
Before coming to District 118, Jackson taught first grade in St. Louis.
“She’s always just had an amazing heart for kids,” Principal Monet Webster said.
Jackson will succeed current assistant principal Amber Harrington, who will be taking a position closer to home, Webster said. As assistant principal, Jackson’s base salary will be roughly $83,800.
She has held a number of leadership positions. She’s a head teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary, meaning she assists with administrative duties like calling parents and supporting teachers when Webster is absent, and is also the intermediate leader of the school’s crisis team. Jackson is also the representative for the school’s English Language Arts curriculum with the district.
District 118’s slogan “Belonging begins with Belleville,” is a personal motto for Jackson, and is reflected in her work on committees regarding restorative justice and equity.
Jackson said she hopes to build off the foundation Webster has set regarding this, which includes celebrating all students’ cultures.
“Our school is diverse in its own way,” Jackson said. “When we acknowledge that, we make kids feel like they belong.”
Throughout the year Abraham Lincoln hosts multiple events for students and their families, like meet-the-teacher nights, family game nights, and ice cream socials, but when it comes to community engagement, “we always want to do more,” Jackson said.
“Without parent engagement, we have half of the team, and we need all parts of the team for student success,” Jackson said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 5:30 AM.