Demeka Kimpson: Central 2 Learning Community Teacher Of The Year

Press release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools:

4/27/2021

It was pandemonium in Demeka Kimpson’s seventh-grade class when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administrators walked through her door. Her class size had just doubled, the bell had rung, and she was positioning kids and logging them into Zoom.

"The sound system was on, which is loud, and everything was just amplified," said Kimpson, band director at Sedgefield
Middle. "I knew they would be in the building, but I didn't know they were coming for me."

Her visitors were there to announce that Kimpson is the Central 2 Learning Community Teacher of the Year. The Orangeburg, S.C., native is in her 19th year of teaching and her 16th year at Sedgefield.

"I stood there like a deer in headlights, but they saw me in action," Kimpson said. "I'm not afraid for an administrator to walk into my classroom. What you get is what you get, and hopefully, it's something valuable. You see my heart and my kids matching my intensity."

Sedgefield Principal Sheena Miracle said Kimpson is an inspiration to everyone she meets and that the school is proud to have her leadership and service.

"She is passionate about music and desires to help both students and colleagues identify their own musical talents," Miracle said. "She is committed to her students, her community and music education nationwide. Throughout this pandemic, she has demonstrated innovation and flexibility, working tirelessly to keep the music alive. Ms. Kimpson desires to create an educational experience that is inclusive for all students. She is the model of excellence."

Music has been part of Kimpson's life since she was 3 years old. Her mother worked at S.C. State University and had a friend who was chair of the music department. Kimpson's earliest memories were of taking piano lessons in the music building, and she eventually joined chorus and, of course, band.

"I started band in elementary school, and when I got to fifth grade, I just knew," she said. "I don't know a moment or a time in my life where I was not being musical in some capacity. Even now, I still play and continue to be a part of the performance."

Kimpson earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Claflin University in Orangeburg and her master's degree in music from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. Before joining CMS, she taught in Cabarrus County and Rock Hill. From 2010-2016, Sedgefield was a secondary Montessori magnet, so she also taught sixth-graders at Park Road Montessori until the program changed. A woodwind specialist, Kimpson plays clarinet and flute, as well as saxophone, low-brass instruments and cello.

"Piano was the gateway," she said. "If I had the power, I'd put every kid on a piano. I was music literate at an early age, and I wish I could give every kid that foundation. It made going into band very easy because I knew how to read music and count rhythms at a very high level."

Becoming a teacher was a natural progression for Kimpson, whose musical talent was nurtured by her family and teachers. Her teachers forged strong relationships that lasted for years, and they supported her inside and outside the classroom. Kimpson does the same for her students, from taking weekend calls to attending events.

"It's not the things you do when they're in front of you," Kimpson said. "It's the relationships you develop that keep the buy-in. It's what you do outside the classroom, and I do it because somebody did it for me."

Kimpson said she is still overwhelmed at her recognition and appreciates that people find value in what she does for children. She said every teacher deserves recognition because this has been "a beast of a year."

"This is not something I did on my own," Kimpson said. "It's the students and their families, administrators and teachers – my friends. I can't even say colleagues because the band world is small, and we've been together and have great friendships outside CMS. I wish there was a way to break a piece of all this off because they helped me be the best. I can be a reflection of everybody's hard work and dedication."

This press release was produced by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.