Hannah Edelen, Covington Independent Schools
Kentucky School Advocate
November 2024
Q. You grew up in rural Washington County, but now live in Covington, an urban area. While those areas might seem vastly different, do you see any similarities?
A. Schools are a microcosm of their community and in the same way that a rural school reflects its community, so does an urban school. With both you have people who are committed to serving kids and want to drive academic excellence and people who love their work despite its challenges. Also, from the research, we know that poverty in many ways impacts kids the same whether they live in rural or urban areas. I think families in rural and urban communities want their kids to succeed and it may look different in how it’s operationalized and prioritized, but wherever you go, you find committed families and teachers who want to propel kids forward.
Q. You decided to run for school board in 2022, after serving as a teacher, just before you were named Miss Kentucky. Why did you want to serve?
A. School boards make important decisions about public schools. And having someone who understands what a teacher does is so important. There hadn’t been a teacher on our board for some time. Decisions were being made at the district level that didn’t feel like they had the teacher’s perspective. At the time I was on the Covington Education Association representing Holmes Middle School, where I taught. I met with the superintendent to communicate concerns and got some changes made for the middle school. I realized then how important it is to have people in positions where they can be the voice for you. My work as a teacher, in research and in advocacy made me a prime candidate to serve in this role.
Q. As Miss Kentucky, your initiative was Read Ready Kentucky, and you have published two children’s books, Why is improving literacy important to you?
A. The ability to read is the foundation of learning. When kids can read by 3rd grade, they’re on track to learn in their content areas. As a 6th grade teacher, I had many kids who were not where they needed to be reading-proficiency wise and I saw how that impacted their ability to learn. This project was also inspired by Read Ready Covington. I partnered with them and with state and national organizations like the Girl Scouts.
Q. You now work for Kentucky Youth Advocates. Tell us about your work there.
A. I’m the director of policy and strategy. Kentucky Youth Advocates is focused on advocacy, research and policy work as it relates to kids’ issues. I lead two initiatives, Bloom, Kentucky, which is focused on mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through policy change, and the Bounce Coalition, which builds resiliency in young people and their families by educating families and then equipping them with skills to be more resilient.
Q. You’ve spoken about how adverse childhood experiences have impacted you.
A. I grew up in a relatively chaotic home and had a wonderful teacher who invested in me financially and emotionally when my family could not. Sarah Raikes taught me how to be the resilient person I am today. I think many teachers today want to be that support for kids, but bureaucracy and high stakes accountability measures can get in the way of those relationships being prioritized. My family did the very best they could with what they had considering their own unique experiences. I am a culmination of the many individuals in my life that invested time into me.
Q. You’re pursuing a doctoral degree in education policy. What are your plans?
A. I want to boldly serve Kentucky in a way that helps move education forward. For me, education was transformative, and I believe every child deserves an excellent education. I’m using my experiences and knowledge gained through my education to help me be a vessel for that work.
Q. You’ve been to every Kentucky county, and some of your travels were as Miss Kentucky, when you visited 100 public schools. Could you talk about that?
A. As Miss Kentucky, my goal was to visit as many schools as I could to talk to kids about the importance of reading and how it prepares you for life. I had been to quite a few counties before that because I’m curious and I love festivals – they are such a unique way to see the culture of a community. And a class I had had on Kentucky history also made me want to see everything.
Getting to know
Hometown: Springfield
Family: Parents Kevin Edelen and Jennifer Yates; brother Hunter Edelen; engaged to Erik Pederson
Favorite subject: English and social studies
Hobbies: Reading, Pilates, cycling, walking my two goldendoodles, finishing my doctorate and planning our wedding
Book recommendation: “Circe” by Madeline Miller. It’s a captivating story and the characterization makes it so compelling.
Interesting fact: I traveled to London to see the Eras tour because it was cheaper than seeing Taylor Swift in the states. I went with my future mother-in-law, and it was quite the bonding experience.