New Campbellsville Independent Superintendent David Petett rallies with students. Photo courtesy David Pettet
The new superintendent of Campbellsville Independent, David Petett, said he hopes to continue the impressive growth seen in the district and bring more opportunities to students.
After a period of recent growth, he said the district is at the highest enrollment it has seen in the last 30 years.
“Our enrollment is up about 500 students over the last decade, which is unheard of, so I get the job of sustaining and keeping it going.” Petett said. “We have a lot of momentum as a district we want to continue. My biggest priority is customer service and service excellence and making sure that every student that walks our halls receives hope and opportunity.”
As part of that growth, the district is building a new auditorium and a new vocational science center, which are scheduled to be completed before the end of the year.
“From a construction standpoint, we’ve really grown to a point that we’ve never seen before, so now we’ve got to provide the resources operationally to make sure that our staff has what they need,” he said.
Petett said he also hopes to encourage more students to get involved in extracurricular activities, like clubs and sports.
“We want to make sure that they are plugged in to something bigger than themselves, because we’ve found that that’s where we see our biggest success is when our students are plugged into something,” he said.
Originally from Tompkinsville, Petett graduated from Campbellsville University with a bachelor’s in social studies and secondary education. He got a master’s degree in educational administration from Eastern Kentucky University, then later went back to Campbellsville University for his Rank 1 in gifted education.
After graduating, he decided to stay in the area and got a job teaching 8th-grade social studies at Campbellsville Independent. He has been in the district for all 25 years of his career.
He spent six years in the classroom, coached different sports, was transportation director for three years and food service director for three years. He has served as principal at different times at the district’s elementary, middle and high school.
He also served as the district’s director of special programs helping gifted and talented students through federal programs. Most recently, he served as assistant superintendent and became superintendent on July 1.
Petett has helped the district form their personalized Portrait of a Learner, or as they call it, Profile of an Eagle, which has six pillars detailing the skills they want students to have when they graduate.
Petett said Campbellsville held their first defense of learning showcase in April where students shared what they’ve learned at school, and Petett said it was probably one of the most powerful days in his 25 years of education.
“I almost got emotional watching our 5th graders, 8th graders and seniors talk about their journey as an Eagle and what the six pillars mean to them and what it means to be an Eagle,” Petett said. “So absolutely, that’s a huge initiative. We’re already looking to make it bigger and better.”
Petett is looking forward to continuing work in the district and interacting with those he already has strong relationships with.
“I love the interaction with all the departments, it fits my personality well,” he said. “My biggest source of confidence in taking this new role, which has been a challenge, is my belief and trust in our team. They are not just coworkers; they are truly a team to me. They are family to me. They have been there for me in my biggest wins and they have been there for me during my toughest days. So, I draw my most confidence from the team that is assembled here in Campbellsville Independent Schools.”
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