Jo Spark: Master Teacher
Education Solid Gold Neighbor
by Holly Burchett, Director, Community Relations
Greeting everyone with a smile, Jo Spark is known for bringing positivity to the classroom, along with an infectious love for children’s literature. I experienced all of this within moments of meeting her on a typical day at Alta Vista Elementary School in Waco, Texas where she serves as a Master Teacher. Although she has given her time to many community roles in the past, she has most recently focused on supporting organizations that enrich not only her work as a teacher but other teachers as well. She explained, “I have seen what a difference we can make in the lives of children when we provide the services so necessary to the physical, emotional, and educational needs of our students and their families.” These words beautifully describe the impact that she witnesses as part of the staff of Waco ISD and Transformation Waco.
Though not always as a teacher, Jo has positively impacted children for decades through supporting her husband, Dr. Harvey Spark, as he served as a beloved pediatrician or while raising their seven children. She shared, “As our children left home, I decided to go back to school to finish a degree I started many years before. Never did I think I would be a teacher, but God had other plans for me. I graduated in 2007 at age 60 and began my teaching career.” Mrs. Spark loves Waco and has been invested in the city’s educational growth for years as she, along with a close group of friends, founded the Hearts in the Arts Committee which is now part of the MCC Foundation to support students and the Fine Arts through scholarship. She also served as a volunteer for seven years at the Mayborn Museum Complex and enjoyed her role on the committee to assist with planning the new build for the museum – ensuring this asset became a reality for our community.
Jo loves Baylor basketball, traveling to visit her family which includes fourteen grandchildren, and is currently enrolled in a Master’s program at Western Governor’s University to further her education. When asked what she loves about Waco she shared, “The people! I love the people of Waco and am so proud of the growth of our town. Everywhere I have served, I have found the people to have the “can-do” spirit and hearts that want to welcome and serve the members of our community.”