From student to principal: Covington alumna named new CHS principal

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By Blythe Alspaugh

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COVINGTON — Bridgit Kerber knew she wanted to work with kids as a camp counselor one summer, which pushed her toward her career in education.

“I really loved the interactions, I loved knowing that you can affect someone’s life in a positive way,” Kerber said. “As far as education goes, I had great teachers who inspired me. I thought about the ways that I could give back in the same ways that they did, and that’s kind of what lead me to pursue education.”

Kerber, an alumna of Covington High School Class of 1996, first started working in the district as a language arts teacher at Covington High School in 2002. In 2018, she shifted gears and took on the role of the district’s curriculum director and assistant principal, where she assisted all three building principals and administration as needed, mentored new teachers and provided professional learning to the district.

Now, 20 years into her career as an educator, Kerber will take on the title of Covington High School principal.

“It’s been a journey. It’s been, lately, very humbling. To sit in this chair means I’m following a long line of esteemed people who have done this job, and that means that I have a lot to live up to. Of course, I want to serve the community as well, if not better, than they have,” Kerber said.

Her favorite part of her career in education circles back to the reason she got into education in the first place — one of the best moments, Kerber said, is running into a student after they’ve graduated and hearing about what they’re doing.

“That’s what it’s about — the excitement that they have to share with me what they’re doing,” Kerber said. “You know that you affect student’s lives, but the day to day is what it’s about. The fun and the excitement and the joy of learning something new and sharing that with kids, that has always been the thing that keeps me going.”

Additionally, getting to work with the teachers that Kerber has both taught with and been taught by has been what she considers a gift.

“They taught me the things that mattered to our community, and also have been excellent role models for me and my career. Now, to be their leader, it doesn’t mean that I’m their boss as much as it means that I can support them in the way I know that they need,” Kerber said. “The last few years have been really hard, so for me to be able to support the teachers that I worked with as a teacher, that just means the world to me.”

In taking on her new role as principal of Covington High School, Kerber is most looking forward to helping teachers and students set high expectations for what they’ll do next.

“In Covington, we have a tradition of excellence, and we’ve always had that high bar to rise to, so I guess just seeing what new and exciting ways we can set that bar a little higher — Covington is known in the area for our programs and our athletics and our academics. Just seeing what else we can do and what more we can do as Buccaneers,” Kerber said.

For new and returning students, Kerber wants those entering Covington High School for the 2022-2023 academic year to know that embracing who they are, what they like and the things that make them unique is important to her.

“I think that the things that make us weird and different are the things that make us great,” Kerber said. “Finding other people and activities to do that bring out those excellent qualities — we have a lot of those activities here. Whatever you have that makes you unique and special, we have an activity for that, and I encourage kids to get involved, because that’s where they’re going to find their community.”

The goal for Covington Schools, Kerber said, is to continue to provide a safe environment for kids to learn and become the best version of themselves, and they’re there to support both parents and students.

“If something isn’t right, we’re here to help them figure it out,” Kerber said.

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