BETHALTO - Aaron Kilpatrick didn’t expect to be an educator, much less the principal of Parkside Primary School.
As a self-described “decent” student, Kilpatrick felt a little lost after graduating high school. He dropped out of community college, then joined the U.S. Navy at age 21. Eventually, he found himself as the principal of Civic Memorial High School and now Parkside Primary School, and the native Floridian is proud to call Bethalto home.
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“This is close to 800 miles away from where I grew up, but I do consider Bethalto home now,” he said. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Kilpatrick credits the Navy for a lot of the good in his life. He met his wife on an aircraft carrier in Washington state. She is his “biggest supporter,” and she encouraged him to pursue education after they moved to Bethalto to be closer to her family.
With her advice and the memory of a high school teacher/football coach who inspired him, Kilpatrick enrolled at SIUE at age 27, then McKendree University. When he was placed at Trimpe Middle School for his observation hours, he immediately felt a connection to Bethalto Community Unit School District #8.
“I just had a good feeling about it,” he remembered. “The more time I spent in the schools and the more time I spent around the people, it just started to feel like home.”
He began volunteering with Civic Memorial’s football team, then took a job at the Simpson Achievement Center in Bethalto. He was eventually named the Dean of Students, splitting his time between Trimpe Middle School and Civic Memorial.
He assumed the role of Civic Memorial’s principal and stayed there for two years. His own story served as inspiration for a lot of students, and Kilpatrick was more than happy to share and help his students succeed.
“Any kid that ever felt unsure or felt that they were behind or that maybe they weren’t where they should be at that age, I would always tell them my story,” he said. “I would tell the students my story and let them know that, you know, it’s okay to not have your life figured out at 17, 18 years old. It really is. You don’t have to have everything figured out…I was kind of able to grow up a little bit in the military, and it gave me a much more clear sense of direction and purpose.”
When Parkside’s principal position opened up, he jumped on it, eager to take on a new leadership role within the district. The transition was nerve-wracking at first, but he quickly discovered how much he enjoyed working with the younger kids.
Parkside students are in second and third grade. Kilpatrick said the teachers are like “superheroes” to the kids, and he loves looking at all the cards and drawings he has collected throughout his seven years at Parkside.
“I was a little nervous, honestly, about working with such young children, but it didn’t take any time at all to fall in love with it and the kids here,” he explained. “They are old enough to be independent, but still young enough to really enjoy school. I think we do a really good job here at Parkside about making Parkside a place where students want to be. It’s fun. We work hard, but we have fun. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.”
At Parkside, Kilpatrick hosts morning meetings every day. All 322 students gather in the gym, where Kilpatrick leads them through a mindfulness exercise, a joke of the day, and the Parkside Pledge: “Parkside is a place where everyone works, learns, and succeeds together.”
For Kilpatrick, this pledge is more true than ever. He is thankful for the teachers and administrators at Parkside who help students succeed, and he’s proud to call Bethalto home.
He might not have always known what he wanted to do, but he quickly learned that this is where he wants to be. As a father, husband, teacher and principal, he is proud to be a part of this community and grateful for those who make it possible.
“I always contribute it to luck and being in the right place at the right time, but every now and then, I’ll give myself some credit,” he laughed. “But I’m successful because of the people that I have around me, and we all work hard. We work together… It’s just good for the soul, working with the kids. It really is.”