The average Junior Achievement volunteer spends 10-15 hours preparing for and delivering the JA message in local classrooms.

One Rutherford County woman has spent at least 250 hours more than the last seven years, teaching Murfreesboro elementary school students about their roles in the community, the way a city functions, and the variety of career opportunities available.

For this, Wanda Henslee of State Farm Insurance was named JA’s 2010 Elementary School Volunteer of the Year.

Henslee was awarded this honor at the non-profit’s annual volunteer and teacher appreciation event held Aug. 5 at JA’s Nashville office.

The organization provides in-class, volunteer-led programming to students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, helping students understand how the skills they learn in school are used in the real world. Each program consists of between five and seven individual lessons carried out over several weeks throughout the school year.

Henslee taught six JA classes to Kindergarteners at Barfield Elementary and the Discovery School at Reeves Rogers during the 2009-2010 school year. In addition to delivering JA programs in local classrooms, Henslee also serves as JA’s volunteer coordinator at State Farm and spearheads fundraising activities for the organization.

Henslee said she volunteers because “giving of one’s personal time is the best gift to our youth.” She added, “My Kindergarten students understand that I am interested in them not because I get paid to do so, but because I care.”

A Rutherford County educator was recognized along with Henslee for her passion for the organization’s mission. Vicki Petty, an 8th-grade teacher at Central Middle School in Murfreesboro, has hosted JA programs in her math class for 20 years. For this long-standing relationship, Petty was named a finalist for JA’s Teacher of the Year award.

“Junior Achievement gives students a view of the community and business world at a glance,” Petty explained.

Barb Nigretto, an employee of Ford Motor Credit in Franklin, joined Henslee in receiving recognition as JA’s Volunteer of the Year at the middle and high school level.   Nigretto has logged 14 high school classes since 2006. Finalists for this distinction included LaVerne Gray of Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, David Schenk of Schenk Photography, Susan Lewis of Deloitte, and Jason Rozell of Schneider Electric.

Receiving recognition as Elementary Teacher of the Year was Valerie Barton of Andrew Jackson Elementary, a Metro Nashville Public School. Mary York of Hillwood High, also in the MNPS system, was named High School Teacher of the Year. In addition to Petty, finalists included Catherine Hobbs of Wilson County’s West Elementary School and Williamson County’s Anne Rucker of Nolensville Elementary School and Cathy Dennis of Franklin High School.

Each finalist was chosen for his or her length of service to the organization, dedication to the JA mission, and number of students impacted through his or her individual contributions in the classroom.

“Each year, thousands of dedicated individuals give generously of their time to bring the JA message to our kids here in Middle Tennessee. This year’s Teachers and Volunteers of the Year are representative of the work all of our volunteers and teachers do every day when they bring JA into the classroom,” said JA President Trent Klingensmith.

During the 2009-2010 school year, 1,650 volunteers taught 22,700 Middle Tennessee students in 1,400 classrooms to be financially responsible, workforce ready, and capable of succeeding in the 21st century.