A Place for Lifelong Learning
As president of Elevar Design Group, a Cincinnati-based architecture and engineering firm, Kim Patton oversees design projects on everything from hospitals to sports stadiums to municipal office buildings.
But Patton, who hails from a family of educators, says the projects that have proven most special to him are the public schools.
Whenever a new one is finished, he makes a point to be there on opening day.
KET doesn’t teach the class, but it rolls up its sleeves and does the hard work to build the resources that enable our teachers to be the best they can be.
Kim Patton, president, Elevar Design Group
“I love to come in early, sit in a corner and watch students experience the place for the first time, witnessing the life and energy that fills the space,” he said. “To get to work with the people who deliver a generation of learning to kids – and giving them the tools to deliver the best education they can – is very rewarding.”
It’s perhaps no surprise that Patton likewise holds a similar fondness for KET, with whom he’s been involved for more than 25 years, serving on the network’s Authority and Commonwealth Fund for KET as well as the Northern Kentucky Regional Fund Board.
“KET is so much more than a television network; it’s really an education information company,” Patton said. “KET doesn’t teach the class, but it rolls up its sleeves and does the hard work to build the resources that enable our teachers to be the best they can be.”
The list of educational resources created by KET continues to expand every year: the News Quiz program, civics education videos, media lab workshops, workforce development and career pathways content, virtual field trips, GED preparation guides and more.
And the need for such resources, Patton said, has never been greater.
“The world is changing fast,” he added. “Gone are the days when you could pick a profession at age 18 and learn all you need to know for the rest of your life. These days, learning how to learn is probably the most critical aspect of development.”
It’s akin to the old proverb about giving a man a fish so he can eat today versus teaching a man to fish so he can eat forever. KET furnishes Kentuckians “with the resources to help them learn to fish,” he said, giving them the tools to improve their quality of life.
“KET has the DNA to capture the information that helps people understand how the world is changing,” he said. “KET not only creates the best stories about Kentucky, but it also creates the best resources that support lifelong learning.”
Additionally, KET’s educational resources are available for people at every stage in their lives, he added, whether the person is “in kindergarten, in high school, in their 20s trying to get back to school, or even in their 60s looking to learn something new.”
“For over 25 years, I’ve had a small seat at the table to watch KET’s work, and I’ve had the joy to see the impact that KET has had locally, statewide and nationally,” Patton said. “And it really is a hidden gem that helps change lives, one at a time.”