A Life-Long Foundation

from Good News - Summer 2021

by Jenn Makins Class of 1994

Jenn holds a Master of Arts in International Science & Technology Policy from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University. In 2018 she received a patent (USPO 10,083,492 B2) for her work developing a social educational online platform for Parish’s MAKERplay hospital service program.

Good Shepherd is the foundation of my educational and professional career...

When you visit the 10,000 sq. ft. Design Den makerspace at Parish Episcopal School, you will likely find Jenn Makins tinkering with one of the many machines or coaching the school’s award-winning high school NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge team. This team is currently the only high school rover team in Texas. As Director of STEM Education, she is the architect and steward of the school’s nationally-recognized STEM program. Her sixteen years as a STEM educator has led to impacts at both the national and regional levels. While at NASA, Jenn led the development of engineering challenges and teacher professional development workshops.

“I had no idea at the time, but those trips

to Dinosaur Valley State Park and Big Bend

would inspire and launch my teaching career.”

Jenn notes, “Good Shepherd is the foundation of my educational and professional career.” It is a bold statement and perhaps a bit of a sentimental one, but true,” she adds. The Makins family joined Good Shepherd in the fall of 1990, when Jenn was in fifth grade and her younger sister Lizzy was in first. The campus was so very different, just a quaint collection of four red-bricked buildings plus Kelsoe Cottage tucked in off Midway Road behind the church. Trinity Hall was yet to be built. “Before we had official sports teams, Coach Boyd and Mrs. Clayton would take groups of middle school students down the street to ESD for intramural volleyball tournaments and track meets. We were so excited when we did well because here we were a scrappy group of kids who played volleyball in the grass behind East Hall.”

Middle School is a host of fond memories for Jenn. She remembers Mrs. Petranek and Mrs. Carlyle poised outside their doors at the end of Stanard Hall chatting and greeting students as they came to class. The loud thump of Mr. Burgess shutting his door, often followed by his renowned, “take everything off your desk except a pen or a pencil,” signifying a pop quiz would promptly commence. “I found my ‘voice’ in the Orff Ensemble and learned confidence and independence during the school’s first few Classroom of the Earth (COE) trips.”

“I had no idea at the time, but those COE trips to Dinosaur Valley State Park and Big Bend would inspire and launch my teaching career.” After attending high school at Bishop Lynch, Jenn returned to Good Shepherd to complete the internship requirement of her Kinesiology degree from Texas A & M. “My emphasis was on outdoor education. Even though a lot of the students went to Outward Bound or National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), I knew I wanted something that had more of an educational component coupled with the adventure.

Jenn and Ben – Jenn with Ben Powell (Class of 2012)

Jenn leading a COE trip to Texas Freshwater Fishery Center

So, in the Fall of 2003 Jenn started the year as Good Shepherd’s outdoor education intern. Halfway through the year, there was an opening in the P.E. department, which enabled Jenn to join the faculty full time. The following year, Jenn had the opportunity to work in the Lower School science program after it was re-booted as a stand-alone class. “I am so grateful to Bob Kohler, Sandy Pollard, and Liz Young. They took a chance on a rookie teacher, gave me some room to make mistakes, and challenged me to build a quality student-centered program.” My four years teaching at Good Shepherd are some of the fondest of my career. The families are amazing, the faculty is world class and the students are fun, caring, and eager to learn.

Jenn recently asked her parents what made them choose Good Shepherd from the many options available. Her mom’s answer was quite simple, “The school shared our family values, and we wanted a place where the teachers would really see and know our children.”

Family – The Makins family joined Jennifer at the “If Then” exhibit at Northpark.

“If Then” exhibit. In 2019 the American Association for the Advancement of Science in collaboration with Dallas’ Lyda Hill Philanthropies announced the IF/THEN Ambassador Program. The program brings together 125 women from a variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers to serve as high-profile role models for middle school girls. Jenn is one of the ten ambassadors from North Texas. To elevate STEM careers, the IF/THEN Collection and Exhibit were launched. The Collection is available free online for non-commercial use to students, families, teachers and museums and houses thousands of assets including photos and videos of the ambassadors telling their STEM stories. The exhibit contains 121 life-sized 3D printed statues of the ambassadors and is on display at NorthPark Center in the greenspace and hall under the movie theater, from now until the end of October.