Henry Clay Teacher Earns '26 Regional Award

A teacher at Henry Clay High School, Katherine Blackard, recently accepted the 2026 Regional Impact Award from the Kentucky Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences. (Fayette County Public Schools is part of Region 15.) She was recognized July 23 during the Kentucky Association of Career and Technical Education’s summer conference in Louisville. 

Blackard joined our district in 2019, and this will be her second year at Henry Clay, where she’s teaching Advanced Foods & Nutrition as well as Foods & Nutrition for the 2026-27 school year. Additionally, she is the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) club adviser and a member of the school’s Climate and Culture Committee. 

“I love seeing the light-bulb moment when students connect theory with hands-on learning experiences,” she said. 

Blackard earned a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education with a minor in Nutrition at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and a master of arts in teaching (MATS) in Special Education with a focus in Learning Behavior Disorders through the University of the Cumberlands. She also has a Teaching English as a Second Language endorsement through EKU. Her secondary master’s, through Murray State University, is in Teacher Leadership with a focus in Career and Technical Education. She’s currently working on a doctorate for P20 Community Leadership.

She previously taught at Paul Laurence Dunbar and Bourbon County high schools.