Leah Arnold has always worked with children. From being a nanny in the summer and teaching at the YWCA after-school program in Mankato to working as a personal care attendant for students with special needs, Arnold found her calling in life. “My jobs have steered me towards working with kids,” Arnold said. “[At University of Minnesota, Mankato] I stumbled on FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) [in the education department].” She knew that teaching FACS was a perfect career path. Since Arnold has always enjoyed cooking and sewing, FACS allowed her to build upon these interests while teaching. She said she is energized to share her interests with Kimball Area High School students. “I want to pass along my passion in this area to students.” Throughout her school day at KAHS, Arnold teaches different FACS courses. Seventh-grade students learn nutrition, healthy living and basic cooking skills. In eighth-grade FACS, students are taught how to sew. FACS also offers an advanced foods course to senior high students and a class entitled “living on your own.” In this class, students learn basic life skills, like how to balance a checkbook, set a budget, fill out their taxes, set goals, and rent an apartment. Arnold also teaches a child development class, which she feels is important for students of both genders. “These skills are something that both men and women need to have. Child development takes two parents to raise a child,” Arnold said. After the school day, Arnold coaches volleyball in a neighboring district. She will also coach girls basketball this winter. Outside of school, Arnold said that she enjoys gardening, waterskiing and participating in sports. She canned her first pickles this year and said that she has a quilting addiction that she inherited from her mother. Arnold is to married 1992 KAHS graduate, Mike Arnold. The couple lives in Watkins, and they enjoy the Kimball area. “I am really looking forward to being part of the staff in the school and becoming part of the community,” Arnold said. She said that a successful school year would be measured in the students’ enthusiasm for the curriculum. “If the students are excited about coming to class and I am excited to teach, I will have succeeded.”
