Administrator of the Year

Brock Turnipseed

Kara Killough believes you cannot educate a child until you connect with them.

She reflects back to sixth grade in the Rankin County School District (RCSD) and the connection she formed with her teacher, Pam Johnson. Little did she know that would ignite a passion for education that has impacted many and earned her the 2022 Mississippi Administrator of the Year.

“She really got to know us beyond what we could do academically. She believed in us, supported us, encouraged us, got to know our families and really kept in touch with us,” Killough said of Johnson. “She started building that relationship with us and poured into us to make us believe that we could do anything. I knew if she had that kind of impact on me, then I wanted to have that same impact on other students as well.”

Killough has done the same for numerous RCSD students, teachers and administrators over the past 13 years as principal at Northwest Rankin Elementary (NWRE) and earlier as assistant principal starting in 2004, when NWRE restructured and opened as a kindergarten through fifth grade school.

For Killough, who had been an administrative intern at Flowood Elementary and before that a fifth grade Northwest Rankin Elementary (NWRE) principal Kara Killough presents first grader Madelyn Mohler a Random Acts of Kindness Student of the Month certificate. Killough was named 2022 Mississippi Administrator of the Year for the NWRE, located in the Rankin County School District (RCSD).

Confetti flies at NWRE as Killough (front row, third from left), school staff and RCSD administration celebrate the school earning an A rating on the Mississippi Schoolwide Accountability System in 2018.

math and social studies teacher at Northwest Rankin Middle School, and her principal, Dr. Charlotte Young, it served as an opportunity to build the school’s culture.

“There were many lessons we learned and things we realized we could have done differently,” Killough said. “Over 18 years, we’ve been able to tweak and change things to fit the culture that we wanted to continue to define.”

Killough said Young brought laughter and fun into the learning environment, something she has continued to incorporate into NWRE as principal. Making learning fun helps Killough and her staff connect with students, leading to an environment where students want to learn.

NWRE Assistant Principal Jill Lay said a positive, welcoming environment resonated when she joined the school three years ago.

“You can see it in the pictures on the walls, in the way teachers greet you, in the way students greet you and in the way everyone says ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon’ with smiles on their faces,” Lay said. “You have days when you’re just not feeling at your best, but on those days we rally around you and support you even more. It’s a very positive envi-

- Kara Killough

Left: Killough (left) and Assistant Principal Jill Lay delivered treats to teachers during the holiday season. Right: Killough, presents third grader Jaxon Bomgardner with a bike he earned for his hard work during third grade state tests. Killough and the NWRE staff used the theme Champions to challenge each student to be present, arrive on time and work hard on their state test. Students earned tickets that could be used for various door prizes.

ronment. Having fun is important because we want our students to walk through the door with a smile and know we are going to challenge them academically but have fun while doing it.”

Connecting with students and being in tune with their social and emotional needs plays an integral role, something she learned from Johnson.

Building and maintaining those connections takes a village approach, and Killough sees NWRE as a family unit striving for a common goal. That family branches into the home, where she connects to parents through the school’s social media accounts and home challenges families have to complete together.

The NWRE family has thrived during her 13 years as principal, growing from academic watch identification into an A-rated school on the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System in 2018. Killough said she held a big celebration to mark the culmination of the long journey.

Positive reinforcement is critical at all levels, especially in elementary school, which is why Killough was proud that NWRE implemented a positive behavior, intervention and support (PBIS) program and progressed to Tier 2 status, the only RCSD school to achieve that designation.

“The positive mindset in our elementary school is crucial because they are going through so many changes in their elementary years,” Killough said. “Having a positive outlook, to me, is a non-negotiable in an elementary school where it is so needed.”

Because of the school’s varying age ranges, Killough said she considers the older NWRE students the “seniors” of the building and partners them with younger students.

“We have a diversity of ages, ability levels, socio-economic levels and

demographics,” Killough said. “But when we come into our school, we all have a common theme: We are respectful of each other, and we all have the goal to grow as much as we can and enjoy what we are doing.”

Lay said NWRE has been successful because of the culture and trust between the staff and students.

“You can’t have a successful school without a great leader who empowers her staff. She does a fantastic job of relationship-building because she’s transparent. When you have that transparency and everyone trusts you and the decisions you’re making, they are going to follow you,” Lay said. “We don’t always get it right, but it all goes back to that relationship and them knowing that you have their backs. They know that about Kara. They know, at the end of the day, she is going to make decisions that are best for them.”

Lay knew when Killough was named RCSD Administrator of the Year that she would receive the state award. Still, Killough was honored and humbled.

“There are amazing principals and educators taking their buildings to unbelievable levels,” she said. “I’m honored to be selected. I never thought this recognition would come to me because I feel like it’s just what I’ve been called to do.”

Killough (front row, center) takes a photo with former NWRE students who returned to the school for a walk through prior to graduating from Northwest Rankin High School this spring.