DeSoto teacher Natasha Jarvis honored for classroom behavior program at alternative school

The DeSoto County School Board on May 13 recognized Natasha Jarvis, a staff member at DeSoto Secondary School, for implementing a program the district said improved student engagement and behavior at its alternative school.

The board heard that Jarvis adapted a program called Class Stars, introduced in January, to allow teachers to record positive and negative student interactions in real time without interrupting instruction. Dr. Bennett, the district superintendent, said the program helped teachers praise constructive behavior and provided concise data for parent conferences.

"Class Stars didn't just change my classroom. It changed my students. They're excited to be kind, and they love being seen for it," Jarvis told the board in remarks quoted by the superintendent. District presenters told the board the program reduced the number of written referrals teachers had to file and gave staff an organized, real-time record of student interactions.

The board noted that Jarvis's work led to her being featured in a national Class Stars newsletter, which included her photo and comments about how she adjusted the tool for DeSoto Secondary School's needs. Dr. Bennett said teachers trained on the system saw students respond to being acknowledged and that the program made classroom management more seamless while producing usable data for parent meetings.

Board members applauded Jarvis and highlighted the district's improving test-score trends, saying several schools were trending upward and that one school had a chance to move from a B toward an A rating. The recognition was part of the superintendent's report and did not include any formal board action.

The board did not discuss any funding changes tied to the Class Stars adoption during the meeting; district officials described the item as staff recognition and program adaptation rather than a new budgetary commitment.