A teacher, a coach, a business owner, and a twin, Ms. Jackie Bono has been a teacher at Waterford High School for five years. Ms. Bono began her career at Waterford High School teaching fine arts classes and currently teaches photography and digital art.
Ms. Bono has been interested in art her whole life, and could always be found crafting something up. Growing up, she and her twin sister Lisa spent a lot of time sewing and crocheting with their grandmother. Their grandmother, or “Gram” as Ms. Bono called her, always supported their creativity and promoted their artistic growth.
Ultimately, Ms. Bono has always chosen art. In college, she started off majoring in elementary education. During her sophomore year, her counselor suggested that she switch to art education after seeing the great work she was doing in her elective art classes.
Ms. Bono has now been teaching art for 11 years. She began her teaching career at Griswold Elementary School and after six years transferred to Waterford High School. Throughout her years at Waterford, she has inspired and impacted many students. Photography senior Cooper Bellos said that “she had very creative lesson ideas” and National Art Honor Society member Isabela Haque described Ms. Bono as “very sweet”.
Ms. Bono’s kindness and creativity has greatly impacted her art students. Theater enthusiast and skilled digital artist Phoebe Brown said, “Ms. Bono took me from… a novice Digital Artist to a Pro… She pushed me to be more creative and… [she] does her best to let you not only keep your style but find ways to improve it. I love Ms. Bono, I think she’s amazing”
Being an art teacher is not Ms. Bono’s only role at the high school. Since day one, Ms. Bono has been a coach for the freshman volleyball team.
Ms. Bono played volleyball when she attended high school. She was a setter for Waterford and continued to play in rec leagues throughout college. As a coach, she has years of experience and her creative mind makes her great at explaining instructions both on the court and in the classroom.
Volleyball player Emma Way said that she is a lighthearted person who cares deeply about her work inside and outside of school. Emma said, “She (Ms. Bono) has made a big impact on many of the students at WHS and will continue to throughout the years.”
While many students are familiar with Ms. Bono from school, her life outside the confines of Waterford High School is less well-known. Ms. Bono is a licensed business owner.
She started her brand, Creativity in Connecticut, in 2018 as paint nights. She later rebranded to jewelry. Beginning with earrings, she has expanded to custom sweaters and wants to look into making necklaces.
Ms. Bono was inspired to start her business after realizing that many paint nights that she attended were poorly organized and left people confused on how to paint their desired piece. Ms. Bono attended one of these paint nights with her mom and after she asked her for help, Ms. Bono ended up helping the entire class.
Ms. Bono’s younger twin sister, Lisa Bono, also has her own business called Bark and Needle, where she sells crocheted and sewn accessories for pets and their owners. Lisa Bono lives in Massachusetts and currently works in graphic design.
The two Bono sisters have always been close, as many twins are. They grew up crafting together and even though they now live in different states, they still frequently collaborate on art decisions and help each other with their personal work.
Many students know Ms. Bono’s brother. Mike Bono, who is also a teacher at Waterford High School. Ms. Bono said that she is grateful to work alongside and see her brother everyday , and although siblings can get annoyed with each other, it is helpful to have him close by.
The Bono siblings relationship helps students relate to their teachers and sets a comfortable tone in the classroom. Ms. Bono said, “I think the students really like seeing the relationship too, ‘cause he’ll (Mr. Bono) just pop in and be like ‘Ugh, how boring is she?’ and poke fun and stuff like that, but it’s nice to see that relationship… when I relate things to his classroom and they (the students) can see the interconnection.”
Balancing work, coaching, a business, and a social life is difficult. Ms. Bono said that her personal life is often what suffers in her attempts to balance her life. A couple years ago, she decided that it was time to make a change and learn to say no to people.
Ms. Bono wants students to know about the importance of prioritizing yourself and your own life over pleasing others.
Outgoing, hardworking, and kind hearted, Ms. Bono is a great role model for young artists and a welcoming resource for all students.
