May 8, 2026 — At Mount Bethel Elementary, students and staff are showing how their school and community are more like a family.
Former Mount Bethel and current Dickerson Middle School student Jackson Jeffcoat was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, or T-LBL, in December 2025 and continues to battle the disease.
It is an aggressive cancer in which underdeveloped T-cells grow uncontrollably, attacking healthy cells and forming tumors, typically in lymph nodes or the chest.
While the Mount Bethel community deals with that reality, fourth-year EIP teacher Whitney Williamson is facing her second colon cancer diagnosis in two years.
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To help raise money for the two families, Mount Bethel designed T-shirts for sale and used proceeds from its annual staff kickball game to support Williamson and Jeffcoat.
Mount Bethel presented each family with a $1,600 check at the end of the staff kickball game.
"The Mount Bethel family is incredible. They surrounded me and have been here every single step of the way," said Williamson.
During the game, students and teachers wore blue and yellow shirts reading, “Their Fight is Our Fight: Team Williamson and Jeffcoat.”
"I am so grateful to this community for raising Jackson up to the person he is. The fact he's able to walk through this the way he is largely in part to his experience at this school. And they've continued to make this a safe and happy place for his little brother during all of this. So, the fact they wanted to make plans and invest in his college account and encourage him to think about this is incredible," said Jackson's mom, Erica Jeffcoat.
That support extends beyond Mount Bethel. At Walton High School, the lacrosse team has also rallied around Jackson during his fight. Read more about their efforts here.
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The check presentation at the end of the afternoon only scratches the surface of what the former student and current teacher mean to the Mount Bethel community.
In addition to financial support, the families have received home-cooked meals, routine check-ins, and countless thoughts and prayers throughout their battles with cancer.
The Mount Bethel community continues to support the Williamson and Jeffcoat families as they battle cancer.
