Jill Mullins, an art teacher at West Riverside Elementary School, is the recipient of the Jacksonville Bar Association’s 2024 Liberty Bell Award.
The award recognizes outstanding service by a nonlawyer who has worked to strengthen the effectiveness of the American system of freedom under law, in keeping with the spirit of the U.S. Constitution.
Missy Davenport, JBA Law Week Committee co-chair, nominated Mullins for the award.
She said Mullins is a dedicated art teacher who has served as the liaison for the Law Week Poster Contest for the past several years.
As part of the goal of Law Week to promote knowledge of and respect for the role of law in our society, the committee facilitates a poster contest for fourth-grade students at West Riverside Elementary.
Each year, committee members visit her art classes to discuss that year’s Law Day theme with the students. Mullins then works with the students, who draw posters showing their interpretation of the theme.
“Ms. Mullins’s efforts have allowed the Law Week Committee to reach many, many young people who know more about the legal system, the rule of law and the importance of law in their individual lives. These children will grow up with a better understanding of why the law is important and how it can impact their lives,” Davenport said.
“She works with many students and has a passion for educating and engaging her students. Her dedication has had a great impact on her students and I expect this will result in more informed and involved adults in the future,” she said.
Mullins received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida College of the Arts.
She began her career with Duval County Public Schools in 2014 at R.L. Brown Elementary School. Mullins then taught for a year at GRASP Academy before moving to West Riverside in 2016.