HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (WTVF) — We know each one of our educators is a hero, but one principal in Hopkinsville, Kentucky is "My Hero" because of her exceptional story of determination.
A teen mom turned community leader.
MLK elementary principal Carrie Caples starts each school day for her nearly 600 students filled with joy.
"I love coming here every day, every day, every day," she exclaimed.
Christian County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Bentzel said after meeting Caples once, you're sure to remember her.
But to walk these hallways she's walked a long road. As a single teen mom growing up here in Christian County, she had no idea what her future held. She pursued education and started her career 25 years ago as a school bus monitor transitioned to school bus driver, custodian and then a teacher.
"I never thought that I'd be sitting in this seat, never," she said. "But hard work and dedication and people pouring into you that's what helped me get here too."
She spent ten years in these classrooms at MLK and was promoted to principal in 2017.
"She's a model for our African-American and female students," Bentzel said. "she can say 'no excuses, I did it, you can too.'"
She knows it was her perseverance that got her here, but she credits everyone who saw something in her along the way for helping her find her way.
"Arent I the lucky one here.I get to impact lives the way mine has been impacted," Caples said.
