News Stories

When Chisholm Ridge Elementary celebrated its 20^th anniversary last year, Jana Price had an opportunity to reflect on her 21-year career there.

“I was here the very first year that Chisholm Ridge opened,” Price said. “It was my first-year teaching—and I’ve been here ever since.”

Price began as a first-grade teacher, later taught second and third grades, and now serves as the math interventionist for kindergarten through fifth grade. She explains that her role centers on helping small groups of students who struggle with math, slowing the pace to meet them where they are and helping them experience success.

“They start realizing, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ That’s the best part.”

What has kept Price on the same campus so long is the strong sense of community. “The people are what keep me here—the coworkers and the families,” she said. “It really feels like home.” Through the years, she’s seen multiple siblings, second- and third-generation families walk through the halls, and former students now in college still stop in to give her a high-five.

Principal, Krystle Green agrees that Price is a fixture on campus. “Ms. Price brings warmth and positivity wherever she goes. Alumni often return delighted to see that her familiar face of hope and love still lights up our halls.”

Price cites her parents—both lifelong teachers—as her earliest role models, especially their belief: “Kids have to know you care about them before they’ll start caring about school.” That philosophy, she says, remains central to her work every day.

She also credits the very first principal of Chisholm Ridge, Liz Hatley, for establishing a culture of collaboration and community engagement:

“She really taught me how to handle situations—how to talk things out, solve problems together, and always keep the focus on families and community.”

Hatley is proud of the good work Price continues to do. “When I hired Jana in 2005 at Chisholm Ridge Elementary, she was a charter teacher. Her smile, her intellect, classroom instruction and management made her a top-notch teacher! I know she will continue to strive in her educational excellence!”

When asked about her future, Jana doesn’t hesitate, “I plan to stay in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD … This is my home.”

Principal Green hopes Jana will continue to serve Chisholm Ridge.  “A true leader, encourager, and joy-spreader, we are Wrangler Proud of Ms. Price and grateful she continues to help us live the R.I.D.G.E. Way—with heart, humor, and plenty of pride!

Jana sees herself continuing to build the math-intervention program and staying connected to the community she has come to know so well. And while she jokes about a bronze statue on the playground or having the library named in her honor someday, what matters most to her is the day-to-day: the smiling students, the familiar families, the lasting relationships.

“It’s amazing to see them grown up… some even becoming teachers themselves. That’s what it’s all about."