TEMPLE, Texas — Every senior at Temple High School will be adding a book written by a former Temple ISD educator to their personal library on Tuesday (February 17). Every senior received a signed copy of “Every Monday: How to Thrive Your Senior Year, One Week at a Time” written by Jan Stewart Ward.
Ward spent nearly 40 years as an educator, and she taught a variety of English, Humanities, and International Baccalaureate classes at Temple High School. During her career, she worked closely with high school seniors and witnessed firsthand the pressures they face – deadlines, losses, uncertainly, and regrets – especially during that final year of school. She began meeting with her seniors every Monday during the spring semester, counseling them as a group and encouraging them to recognize opportunities, embrace the present, make peace with the past, and approach the future with confidence.
Ward’s students encouraged her to turn those weekly conversations into a book designed to guide seniors through their final months of high school – one week at a time. She hopes that the book serves as both a source of encouragement and a tool for reflection.
“I am really excited that seniors will be getting this book,” Ward said. “I tried to give my seniors some gentle advice. I did not want to give assignments like in some other books, I want to touch more the heart and the mind and help them understand that this is going to be a huge transition in their life. I do not just want them to be prepared for graduation; I also want them to be prepared for life beyond it.”
The books were distributed to seniors during their English class on Tuesday. Ward also had a chance to personally visit a couple of English classes to speak with students, while the other classes were able to watch a short, recorded interview with her. The purchase of the books was underwritten by a generous donation from Art and Jean Coley. Art and Jean Coley are sixth-generation Temple residents, four generations of which were educated in the Temple Independent School District (TISD). As such, the family has remained strong supporters of local community, education, and philanthropy initiatives. The family is the founder of The Coley Group, a holding company that manages properties throughout Central Texas, as well as CGI Franchise, a recruitment operation known as the Recruitment Operating System® (ROS) that helps franchisors build repeatable and sustainable brand development.