Affectionately known as Mama Jones rather than Mrs. Jones, this seventh-grade English teacher has made a profound impact on her students.

Sue Jones taught at Lindon's Oak Canyon Junior High School for 16 years before retiring this spring, yet she'll continue to follow many of her students, and they'll continue to send updates to Mama Jones.

Jones became an idol to her students, said Marjorie Holt, an Alpine School District Parent Teacher Association president whose two children Jones taught.

"It's what I imagine it must be like to be a rock star," Holt said.

Cherae Ecalano, an Oak Canyon science teacher, said students clung to Jones.

"Mrs. Jones, at any given time during the school day, even after school, had throngs of students hang out with her, just to soak in her loving and giving spirit," Ecalano said.

Jones said she lived by one philosophy in the classroom.

"I told them, 'You may forget what you learned in this class, but never forget how you felt,'" Jones said.

Jones created a syllabus that could be tailored to fit each student's needs and reached out to each student until he or she found a reason to care about learning English.

She also created Preserving Utah's Science and History (PUSH) with fellow seventh-grade teacher Jon Winget. The two sent students into the community to learn through interdisciplinary projects.

Student projects included researching recycling, researching and re-creating a curiosity using science and creating films about local businesses.

Jones requested grants in order to further student projects, the results of which included video cameras, laptops, smart boards and funding for additional field trips. These technologies were valued at around $170,000.