New Coordinator Brings STEM Expertise to Viking Zone CLC
Posted on August 30, 2024 in
Education
New Community Learning Center (CLC) coordinator Jennifer Simmons believes her work experience will help her keep students engaged and improving academically at Ninth District Elementary School.
Simmons is STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-certified and has extensive training and experience with project-based learning. By incorporating those types of activities, she hopes to keep students motivated and increase the impacts of the afterschool program.
“There are so many possibilities for the afterschool program!” she said.
Simmons worked more than 10 years in public schools in Shelby County, Tennessee, and most recently served as an instructional coach at Orion Academy in Cincinnati. She moved last year to Park Hills in Northern Kentucky.
With most of her education experience in Memphis, Simmons didn’t know anything about Covington Partners prior to seeing the job posting.
“Now I’m a fan!” she said. “I love serving my community, and I live just outside of Covington, so that is a strong draw for me.”
The Memphis school district where she previously worked is the third largest in the country and in many ways less personalized for families, she said.
“I am really appreciative of how (Covington Independent Public Schools,) with the support of Covington Partners, is working hard to truly ensure that the needs of our students and their families are met,” she said.
Simmons also has experience in informal education, including two years as director of education at The Wilderness Center (a nature center), where her leadership increased the programs offered, its impact and the center’s outreach.
Simmons, who has one daughter, previously trained horses and gave riding lessons. She still has her daughter’s Welsh pony, which is considered part of the family, she said. Besides horses, she likes walking, hiking, reading and gardening.