As a CNE alumna, Miss Emma Keough is thrilled to be stepping into the position as the Assistant Principal of CNE Elementary School. After graduating from CNE, Miss Keough attended Morehead State University for her undergraduate in Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as her graduate degree in School Administration. Since then, she has taught for 11 years, nine of which have been at CNE Elementary and as a volleyball coach at CNE High School.
“As soon as a teaching job was available, I had to come ‘home.’ I want to dedicate my professional work to a community that provided me with so many opportunities, both educationally and athletically,” says Miss Keough.
Coming “home” has been extremely rewarding for Miss Keough, who describes, “I love seeing kids and families outside of school and also at sporting events. It’s fun to see kids that I worked with as young elementary students transition into becoming young adults. I really enjoy following them throughout their school career and staying in touch with them. I also find it rewarding and enjoyable to work with children of my former CNE classmates and friends.”
And if you think you have heard the name “Keough” in the district otherwise, you would be correct! Miss Keough’s parents live in the CNE community and are very involved with the high school volleyball program. Plus, she explains, “My mom is the District Registrar for CNE and my dad is notoriously known for his beautiful flowers!”
As Miss Keough steps into her new role as Assistant Principal, she is excited for potentially the biggest challenge of her career: “It’s new to me,” she states, but continues, “I am so excited to continue my work at CNE in a leadership role where I can observe the amazing instruction our teachers provide and the wonderful work and participation our students demonstrate.”
Just one reason CNE is excited to have Miss Keough taking on the principal role is because of her dedication to continuous improvement. For instance, one of the biggest challenges she has overcome in her career so far has been learning that the way she was teaching children to read was not the most effective way. She describes, “I really felt confident that my instructional practices were ‘the best’ and there must be some other reason my students weren’t learning as they should have been. When I humbled myself to embrace a professional development we took part in a few years ago that taught us a new approach to reading, my teaching immediately changed, as did the student outcomes.”
While Miss Keough loves playing and watching sports, volleyball is her sport of choice given she is a coach and a former Division I athlete. She also loves football, and sheepishly admits, “Even though it’s super unpopular, I am a proud Pittsburgh Steelers fan.” Hopefully our CNE families will forgive this lapse in her judgment! She loves Mexican food and is always up for Chipotle or Chick-fil-A.
One more exciting change for Miss Keough this summer is that she has purchased her first home of her own! She has spent the past weeks settling in but also got the chance to spend a week at Myrtle Beach with her family.
Learn more about Miss Keough in our Elementary Admin Team podcast.