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Thornton
Linda Morris Thornton was born and raised on a working family farm near Mt. Auburn, She was deeply rooted here and demonstrated a true commitment to serving Pendleton County throughout her life. While she spent part of her adulthood and career in other parts of the United States and the world, she never forgot the importance of her early education experiences and roots in this community. She focused on elevating her teaching skills and strived to embody the highest of ideals not only in her work but also in her daily life. In the process, She had a tremendous impact on others--as an educator, a businessperson, a mentor, and a role model.
Thornton was a member of the Class of 1960--the first graduating class of Pendleton Memorial High School. Even in high school, her leadership skills were evident. During her senior year, she served as president of the Future Homemakers of America, secretary of Y-Teens, editor of the first yearbook, president of the Future Teachers of America, and was named the DAR Good Citizen. The senior class and faculty selected her as Miss Pendleton High School and at her commencement, she was named among the first “Top Ten”.
Upon her graduation, she continued her education at Eastern Kentucky University earning a Bachelor of Science with teaching majors in Business Education and Mathematics and graduating “With Distinction”. Later she earned her Master’s Degree with an endorsement in counseling from Georgetown College and a Rank I with endorsement in Instructional Leadership and Principalship at Northern Kentucky University. Between 1964 and 1983, Mrs. Thornton’s life path provided varied experiences as a teacher and a counselor in school systems in Colorado, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Along the way she took advantage of the opportunity to study and take coursework at the graduate level at the University of Kentucky, Virginia Polytechnical Institute, the University of Virginia and Radford. These diverse experiences shaped Mrs. Thornton into a versatile and resourceful educator and school leader.
In the fall of 1983, Thornton returned to Pendleton County and the classrooms of Pendleton Memorial High School as a member of the math department. It was not long before her colleagues and others in our school community recognized not only her gifted ability to teach but also the true professionalism and quality that she brought to our school as a person. In the fall of 1989 through 1992, Thornton moved into a dual position as a part–time guidance counselor and a part-time math teacher. This career move coincided with the passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). This significant legislation brought sweeping change and the simultaneous implementation of multiple initiatives across the education landscape in Kentucky schools. In the summer of 1992, . Thornton was named to the position of Assistant Principal.
At the same time, she was aggressive in the pursuit of national grant opportunities and programs to enhance the skills of teachers and to provide both connected and challenging rigor for the students of Pendleton High School. As a result of her efforts, PHS was able to engage in programs such as Tech Prep, High Schools That Work, and School-to-Work. This trio of national programs along with the implementation of KERA-driven initiatives revitalized the academic and career and technical education programs of PHS. It was her vision, dedicated leadership, and strong work ethic that fueled these initiatives moving the high school and district forward during this decade of educational reform. She was successful in coaching, motivating, and involving every faculty member in activities that promoted “Best Practices” for curriculum and classroom management. She assisted in developing methods of assessment, coordinating programs for staff development, and securing funding for worthy educational projects. In her effort to keep teaching practices engaging and authentic, Thornton strived to get teachers out of their classrooms to network not only with other educators but also with business and industry professionals. These school-wide efforts brought success in areas such as writing assessment, integration, and an advisory program designed to support the implementation of the Individual Graduation Plan. When those outside of the district recognized these successes, she placed the spotlight on teacher efforts.
Following her retirement from the Pendleton County School District in 1998, Thornton was employed at Gateway Community and Technical College as the first Northern Kentucky Tech Prep Coordinator. Among her many accomplishments in this role was the formation of an educational consortium for an eight-county area. She worked with multiple school districts throughout this region. She was well respected in her position and created a cohesive network of schools to assure that Tech Prep programs were in place and were assured continued funding in this region. She was recognized as a leader across the state in her tireless efforts to strengthen communication between high schools and postsecondary institutions and to develop articulation agreements that would allow high school students to have a more seamless transition to post-secondary education and bypass coursework that duplicated learning mastered in high school. Serving as the Northern Kentucky Tech Prep Coordinator for almost a decade, Thornton built many bridges between secondary and post-secondary institutions and created new models for successfully matriculating students to postsecondary programs not only in our region but also across the state of Kentucky. These articulated credit agreements along with the conversations created by Thornton regarding college-credit opportunities for high school students laid the foundation for early college access and, most notably, dual credit programs as a part of her legacy.
In addition to her accomplishments as an educator, Thornton was a successful realtor and business leader in our community. She served as president of the local Pendleton County Retired Teachers Association and was active at the regional and state level with this group. She was an officer and member of the local Rotary International. She served in several official capacities as a Director on the Pendleton County Education Foundation Board. Thornton was also dedicated to her church through the music and Christian education programs. Moreover, she was a devoted and beloved wife, mother, and grandmother.