Kim Fender is a Campbell County school board member
Please share why you decided to run for your local school board.
Campbell County Schools has been an excellent public school system for many years. But this excellence doesn’t happen by accident. It takes the hard work and dedication of everyone from parents and students to teachers and administrators to achieve this excellence. The Board of Education contributes to the district’s success through the decisions made at each meeting. I ran for the Campbell County Board of Education to build on this long tradition of excellence and make our district even better.
What is your favorite thing about serving on your local board?
Each month (pre-COVID) we recognize students and teachers for outstanding accomplishments. These can be anything from individual achievements to whole teams and include recognition in academics, the arts and athletics. It is always amazing to see the variety of awards earned by our students and faculty. I also love attending high school graduation. Seeing our students complete their high school education and move on to the military, workforce, or college is exciting and rewarding.
What activities do you enjoy doing outside your board work?
I love spending time with my grandchildren and get to see them often. I volunteer with many organizations and lead a Girl Scout troop. I've visited several countries with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and look forward to my family's annual trip to the Outer Banks.
Name someone in your life you admire, or who inspired or helped you along the way.
Leroy Randall, my Algebra II teacher in high school. He was also the basketball coach so I thought I could get by in his class with very little effort. About two weeks into the class he asked to talk with me. He asked if I intended to attend college and when I said yes, he told me I wasn't getting out of his class without knowing math. We both worked hard that year but I learned my math and took AP Calculus the next year. Although I worked as a librarian knowing math was invaluable.
Name a book/magazine/website/publication/etc. that you would recommend to other school board members.
"How to be an Antiracist"
Please share something about yourself that most people may not know.
I'm very interested in native plants. I completed all but one course to earn my certificate in Kentucky native plants and I'm unable to finish that last class because the program was discontinued!