All teachers put great effort into their classes and students. One of these teachers who works hard and does many activities for the school is Mrs. Kimberly McCullough. She has been teaching for 11 years at LBHS and 17 years in total.
McCullough juggles many different tasks each day. She teaches English 11, Journalism, and Yearbook. On top of that, she also is the advisor for the Interact Club. She said, “I love each of my classes. I find great joy in being creative and encouraging others to find ways to express themselves whether that is through reading, writing, building yearbook pages or a newspaper.”
McCullough picked up Journalism in 2017, creating an online school newspaper, the PawPrint. The same year, she accepted the position of yearbook advisor. She said, “That was a crazy year. I took on two different programs, and I had to learn how to operate each one within the timeline of production deadlines. Teaching these electives holds a great responsibility to create products that students spend money on and keep for years to come as their school memories.”
To survive the year, she maintains her classes by being well organized and keeping things in priority by working through the most important tasks and moving down the list, only to start all over again. McCullough said that her Yearbook and Journalism classes are “all about deadlines,” and learning how to balance the two together has become an easier task for her over the years.
She said, “You have to pick your battles.” She pushes her students to do worthwhile work and she understands that not every student will be on board with her each day, but she encourages and stresses the importance of working hard, putting their best effort into everything they do, and meeting deadlines.
Pamela Guerra, (12) had Mrs. McCullough for a teacher her Junior year. She stated, “Mrs. McCullough deserves more recognition for always being professional and tidy. She is very helpful including when it is outside of her paying hours. She knows what to say to motivate students to continue their studies. There are many things I can say about Mrs. McCullough but they wouldn’t all fit here. I am very grateful to have been one of her students. She is a great teacher.”
Many students had kind words about McCullough. Maddie Richards (12), said, “She is the best teacher ever. She is so sweet and kind and is always there for her students. I am so grateful to be one of her students for the last two years.” Lezzetti De La Riva (12), said, “Mrs. McCullough deserves more recognition for the teacher spotlight because she is a really good teacher, always looking to help her students when they need it. As well as not only being an English teacher she is also the teacher of yearbook and journalism.”
McCullough joined her husband, Mr. Stuart McCullough who also teaches on campus in the Ag Department. Their two children graduated from LBHS also. “That was a great time when all four of us were on campus together,” McCullough said.
It was during this time that the Interact Club was introduced again to students. McCullough’s daughter and her friends wanted to do something important within the community and they found ways to volunteer and give back through Interact’s activities. Her daughter started the Socktober Drive and the Candy Cane Grams for the Angel Tree which the club still participates in years later.
“The Interact Club is special to me, not only because of my daughter’s involvement, but because we bring goodness into our community. Small little ways to volunteer and make people feel good is what the club is about, and as a club, we strive to do just that,” McCullough stated.
Principal Mr. Jason Waltman had this to say about Mrs. McCullough, “She deserves recognition because she is selfless. A lot goes unrecognized for all of the work she does for the school and helping the students.”
Mrs. McCullough is not originally from here; she was born in Georgia and grew up in Ohio. Her family moved to Pennsylvania where she graduated from high school, and then her family moved to San Jose, California and then to Modesto. Her family eventually grew tired of commuting to work and moved to Tennessee. Mrs. McCullough decided to stay in California after meeting her husband at the Modesto Junior College. She graduated from Fresno State.
Her love for Journalism began during her high school years when she was the school editor of her school newspaper. She took on an internship her senior year writing for a local newspaper. While in college, she worked fulltime for the Modesto Bee and the Fresno Bee Newspapers in the prepress department where she built pages before they went to press. She worked nights and went to college in the mornings.
She has a great love for pigs, gardening, reading, and camping. Many students love sharing books and talking with her about different books and ideas. Not only is Mrs. McCullough a good teacher, but she is a person you can talk to about anything. She is friendly and open to discuss many things.
Mrs. Elise Nicoletti, senior English teacher, stated, “Mrs. McCullough is one of the most principled and ethical teachers. I have so much respect for her. I have known her for several years. She cares about her family and work. I have so much respect for her and the person she is. I don’t have enough words in English vocabulary to describe her. She is organized and committed. She is one of a kind, and I am grateful that I have known her in my life.”
Mrs. McCullough deserves so much respect and admiration. She does so much work for LBHS school, and we are all grateful for her as a teacher, a friend, and a colleague.
