Carlton Kilpatrick has been the chorus director  for the past thirteen years. During his time here, he has worked alongside many talented students with the hopes of improving their singing, along with making a lasting impact upon his students.

Kilpatrick was named the Florida Music Secondary Educator of the Year by the Florida Music Educators Association (FEMA). He was nominated by Brett Karlin,a professional conductor in South Florida who he mentored for several years.

“He assembled an amazing packet of letters supporting the nomination from Dr. Daniel, former parents, former students, and other colleagues,” Kilpatrick said. “Reading those letters was very humbling and moving.”

Kilpatrick always had a passion and love for music, dating back to his own high school and college years. Each day, he approaches teaching with the hope of helping young people have fun while fine tuning their skills and abilities. His hard work and dedication to the program and his students is a large part of his nomination. FEMA aims to recognize educators who go above and beyond the curriculum. Both current and former students enjoy chorus because of everything Kilpatrick brings to the table.

“My favorite thing about KP is definitely his humor,” senior Essence Paulino said. “He is also really sarcastic in a good way and is just fun to talk to.”

Kilpatrick loves making music with young people. He is a firm believer that participating in music ensembles teaches students skills beyond musicianship and “how to sing.” The skills he includes in his classroom are cooperation in a group setting, high level multi-tasking, and an appreciation for all artistic disciplines. 

“I was greatly inspired by our former Lake Brantley band director, Ms. Cindy Berry, and her devotion to her students, her band program, and larger the community,” Kilpatrick said. “This award motivates me to continue to do my best in my own classroom each and every day.”