Fort Thomas has always been a community that relies on its amazing schools to thrive. In the 2024-2025 school year, a number of amazing teachers retired to start a new chapter, leaving the door open for many more.
Elizabeth Winkler is one of the many new accomplished teachers who has recently joined Highlands’ staff. Her story to the teaching career differs from others through her family and how she has grown up.
“It’s something I always thought about because I grew up in a family of teachers. My dad was a teacher and then a high school principal. My mom was a high school English teacher,” Winkler said.
Winkler has come to Highlands as a higher level math teacher, specifically for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.
“Math was always my favorite subject in school. I did well in it. I had a math teacher that challenged me and that I really admired and wanted to have a similar impact on kids,” Winkler said.
Winkler shows her likeness towards math in the classroom while teaching, making it visible that she loves the subject. She aims to bond with her students while helping them learn. One of her sophomore students, Kit Valentine, can see this throughout her class.
“I think it’s apparent that she enjoys math. You can tell she really loves the subject and that’s why she’s teaching it,” Valentine (10) said.
Even though Winkler loves math, many students do not feel the same about the subject. It’s seen as difficult and hard to follow.
“I know a lot of kids don’t like math and I know I can’t make them love math but maybe I can help them hate it a little less,” Winkler said.
To ensure students begin to enjoy their math classes even a little more, Winkler has established a way to allow students to ease into the school year with review lessons.
“We have just been doing a lot of simple equations but it’s already off to a great start,” Valentine (10) said.
Not only has Winkler helped students relearn important steps for the curriculum, she has started forming bonds with many of her students within the classroom.
“I get a lot of energy from being with a lot of kids all day. I enjoy the relationships and I enjoy seeing kids succeed,” Winkler said.
Despite her love of math, Winkler hasn’t always taught it. She began to explore teaching English while getting her masters, hoping to help students learn a new language.
“My masters is in teaching English as a second language, and so I had a little break between top math, worked with the language learners, and then started teaching math again,” Winkler said.
Not only has Winkler had an amazing backstory, she is beginning to truly understand how special Highlands is. The school’s academic history thrives as well as its athletics.
“I graduated from Campbell County High School, and we thought Highlands was a big rival, but I don’t think Highlands thinks Campbell County is a big rival,” Winkler said.
A key part of Fort Thomas is its ability to surround Highlands with teachers who understand the importance of community and are able to support the school. Winkler has now become an important role model for students.
