New school liaison officer hits the ground running

The Churchill County School District has a new Navy school liaison officer on board.

Kimberly Arthur recently moved to Fallon from Naval Air Station Sigonella (Italy) with her family after her husband, Christopher, retired from the Navy after 24 years. She has three children — Bradley who attends Regent University, and twins Sarah and Emily, who are seniors at Churchill County High School.

Arthur a former Navy aviation boatswains mate, has a degree in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University.

“I decided to get out of the Navy so my husband and I could have a family,” Arthur said. “It would have been near impossible to have a family with both of us in so I made the decision to get out. It was a the right thing to do because it allowed me to raise great kids and really be involved in their life and in their schools.”

Being the school liaison officer requires more than just making sure students transition easily from one school to the next, Arthur said. It also requires development support — assist educators working with Navy children, home school linkage and support, partnerships in education — military members being involved in the school district, post-secondary preparations and special needs system navigation.

Terry York, director of Community Support Programs, NAS Fallon, said Arthur is an outstanding employee.

“She represents the military well,” York said. “She has a great sense of commitment and dedication and will make sure things get done and get done right. She advocates for the kids and makes sure they are looked out for and taken care of.”

She said home schooling and being involved in her children’s schools helped prepare her for the position of being a school liaison officer and that the position is a perfect fit.

“I have been involved in the Navy life for so long, we’ve moved several times and our children have been in several different school districts,” Arthur said. “I know school systems, I understand the military life and the struggles the families face from moving so much. All of the experiences I’ve had living the Navy life came together in this position.”

Arthur works with Churchill County School District as well as Lyon County. She attends parent involvement, school and district meetings. She wants to be involved so parents and the districts know she is available.

The Partners in Education program is something Arthur is revamping and very proud of her efforts. She has already reached out to a number of commands that have dedicated several sailors to the program for the school year.

“This is such a great program and it really benefits the schools and the sailors,” Arthur said. “The principals let me know what they need from us and we place the sailors accordingly. I train all of the sailors before they enter the school to start volunteering. It’s important to have role models from the base in the schools. The base needs to be represented and this is a great way to do it.”

Arthur said she couldn’t be happier being in Fallon and working as the Navy school liaison officer. She said being involved and helping military children is very important to her.

“I want to make sure the kids coming to and leaving Fallon will be prepared for that next journey,” Arthur said. “I want to be as involved in the community as I can and make sure there is a strong, positive military presence too. It’s important to establish strong programs in the schools so the community knows the military is here and here to lend a helping hand.”

In Arthur’s spare time her and her family enjoy playing board games, outdoor adventures and being involved in the community.