ORLANDO, Fla. —  A+ Teacher Jessica Scurry's teaching techniques help her students thrive at Legacy Middle School in Orlando where she works as the media specialist.

Jessica Scurry admits supporting her students and helping them learn is a job that she simply can't do alone. She says, "Because it takes a village. It takes a whole community."

When Spectrum News 13 stopped by her class recently, Scurry's students were taking part in a virtual reality field trip without even leaving the building. They were touring ancient Egypt. 

Scurry says the community is constantly stepping up to see them through.

"We have lots of partners in education that actually support our school. We just had Rack Room Shoes donate $1,700 to help our students buy shoes and socks because we were impacted by the hurricane. We had a lot of flooding in our area. We have some students who are homeless and need assistance," she says.

Besides the community, there's another important resource that Scurry relies on to make all the difference. 

Scurry says, "When we have parent support — students are engaged at home outside the classroom setting. We have mentors who come in and help from the community which engages our students if they don't have a parent-like figure at home."

Scurry says student support is critical. She adds, ”Just someone to talk to and just being there for students is really important." 

She knows the importance of education. Scurry was inspired to teach when she was a child after she says she learned that her grandmother only had a fifth-grade education because she left school to take care of her siblings. It's a life lesson Scurry still remembers to this day. 

​An assistant principal nominated Scurry as an A+ Teacher, describing her as a jack of all trades.

"She is all-around fantastic. She runs yearbook club, battle of the books, is our student and adult tech support guru, and our field trip coordinator among other roles," Maria DiMura says. "The students love Ms. Scurry! She creates a welcoming and safe place for all students in the media center and treats everyone on Legacy's campus with the utmost respect."