Porter named state's P.E. Teacher of the Year

Beaumont’s LaDonda Porter is the state’s 2019 Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance congratulated her during a late-fall meeting at the Embassy Suites in Lexington. 

“I am very non-traditional when it comes to physical education, and it involves more than just basketball. I find activities that students are unfamiliar with,” Porter said. “My whole approach is simple: Make it fun.  Exercise shouldn’t be a chore – it should be fun. If you find something you enjoy doing that gets your heart rate up, keep doing it. I hope my students take at least one activity from my class and practice it outside of my four walls.” 

Porter earned a bachelor’s in Physical and Health Education from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in Library Science from Eastern Kentucky University. A native of Richmond, she has taught at Beaumont for 13 years. She also serves as the school’s athletics director, girls’ track coach, and intramurals coordinator and as the district representative for middle school track and field. “I have the best job in education,” Porter said.