Chelan Middle School teacher Jamie Mack named regional Advisor of the Year

CHELAN — Chelan Middle School educator Jamie Mack has been named the 2025 Northeast Middle-Level Advisor of the Year by the Association of Washington Student Leaders, adding another statewide recognition to a school that has been drawing attention for its student culture and leadership programs.

Mack, a seventh-grade social studies teacher and the school’s ASB and leadership advisor, is in her third year leading student activities at Chelan Middle School. In that time, she has helped shape a program that emphasizes student voice, inclusion, and hands-on leadership.

The regional award follows another major honor for the school last year, when Chelan Middle School was named a Washington School on the Rise, a designation that recognizes schools for building strong systems of support, positive culture, and meaningful student-adult collaboration.

In announcing this year’s award, AWSL Director James Layman said Mack is the kind of advisor who makes middle school “not just memorable, but meaningful,” crediting her commitment to creating a positive culture with student leadership at its center. He said her heart, creativity, and consistency have made a lasting impact on both the school and its students.

Mack’s approach to leadership is rooted in the idea that students should be active participants in shaping their school. She encourages students to take ownership of their accomplishments, to see themselves as leaders in different ways, and to understand that leadership is defined by action rather than title.

At Chelan Middle School, that philosophy shows up in daily school life. Students in the leadership program run weekly video announcements, decorate hallways, organize assemblies, and lead community initiatives such as clothing and food drives for Chelan Valley Hope. Monthly assemblies and quarterly activity nights are designed to give students consistent opportunities to build confidence and connection.

Mack also ties leadership lessons to real-world examples, using activities ranging from leadership research projects to shared reading and discussion to help students think about influence, responsibility, and character.

She continues to build her own skills as well, having recently attended her first ASB conference and planning to attend the Washington Activity Coordinators Association conference this spring. She also works closely with her principal and district colleagues and has expanded opportunities for students to attend leadership conferences, including a recent trip to an AWSL student leadership conference in Okanogan.

Together, this year’s regional honor and last year’s statewide recognition point to a school that is investing heavily in student leadership and culture, with Mack’s program playing a central role in that work.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media