Shay Jones is Mount Vernon’s Director of Lower Campus Arts and teaches the LS and MS Performing Dance teams. Born and raised in the greater Atlanta area, Shay was trained at a ballet school and later at a competition dance studio in Marietta. She subsequently attended the University of Alabama, where she focused on dance education with a concentration in kinesiology. Post-university, Shay continued to pursue dance and was signed by a dance agency.  While dancing professionally, her love for the arts and education grew stronger and, ultimately, led to her first teaching job.  Shay strongly believes that everyone is an artist and can shine as one when the individual feels seen, valued, and heard. Through her classes at Mount Vernon, Shay brings out creative thinkers and collaborators. Her performing arts classes include dancing, singing, mindfulness, interactive read-alouds, acting/theatre, and social-emotional learning. While not all Mustangs may be immediately comfortable as performers, Shay ensures that each student is in a way that sets them up for success. In the near term, Shay is very excited to accompany both the LS and MS performance dance teams to the “Beyond the Stars” Dance Competition, the first year when both teams attend together. In her spare time, Shay spends time with her eight-year-old dog, Crimson, and also loves to hike, camp, and backpack, then refuel with sushi or Italian food. Shay continues to pursue her passion for dance by taking dance classes and serving as a judge and adjudicator for three national dance competitions, allowing her to share her knowledge, expertise, and love for dance with the next generation.   Read More