Kevin Dailey, a Holmes High School alumnus who graduated in 2003 and whom the Kentucky Department of Education honored as Kentucky’s 2024 Teacher of the Year in September, was recognized by the Covington Independent Public Schools Board of Education on Thursday. The meeting saw statements from both Dailey and one of his former teachers at the district, Linda Fox, who is now retired.
Dailey is currently a history teacher at Ballyshannon Middle School in Union. He earned both his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky after high school. He taught abroad in China through the University of Kentucky’s Confucius Institute and has also trained with the Foreign Policy Association as well as the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center for Teaching Scholars.
Fox introduced Dailey and talked about his life as a student before allowing Dailey to speak. One thing that stood out was that in spite of Dailey’s current success, he struggled as a student due to the circumstances of his upbringing. His family moved around a lot and struggled financially, which inevitably trickled down into his academic life.
“I was a transient student who was not given much attention by my teachers or peers,” Dailey said.
Still, with the support of his family and teachers, he eventually excelled to where he is now.
“Despite the unfortunate parts–divorced parents, economic uncertainty, so on and so forth–I am incalculably lucky to be where I am today,” Dailey said. “By the chance intervention of my biological and chosen parents, select teachers, friends, my unbelievably incredible wife and many other mentors in my life, I get to stand here and say again, my name is Kevin Dale, and I am the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.”
Watch both Dailey’s and Fox’s full speeches below. The video is time-stamped at the point where the speeches begin.
Read a full bio of Dailey and other teachers honored in September, as well as highlights from the awards ceremony at the Kentucky Department of Education’s website.
