A product of CCPS: Dr. Ellen Cohn Bloomfield’s full-circle journey in education

Dr. Ellen Cohn Bloomfield was raised in a Christian County Public Schools family. Both of her parents worked in the district and from an early age, CCPS was not just where she attended school, it was a constant presence in her life and an early influence that helped shape her passion for education.

Her father Rick Cohn was a Health and PE teacher for 30 years and a Swimming and Diving coach for 25 years at Hopkinsville High School. Her mother Lynne Cohn taught Health Science at HHS for 40 years and since 2001 continues to work as an assistant swimming coach for both Christian County and Hopkinsville High schools. Rick Cohn retired in 1999 and Lynne retired from teaching in 2020.

Bloomfield attended Holiday elementary, Booker T. Washington School, Hopkinsville Middle School and graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 1989. Bloomfield describes herself as a “product of the district,” a phrase that reflects far more than where she went to school. For her, CCPS shaped her family, values and future.

Bloomfield says the world of public education put peanut butter on her family’s bread and that without CCPS, her life would have been different. She believes the district didn’t just educate her, it supported her family and provided her with teachers that inspired her education career.

Raised in a household of educators, Bloomfield grew up immersed in the school district. Teacher meetings doubled as babysitting, her parent's colleagues became extended family and public education was woven into her everyday life.

A defining moment in Bloomfield’s educational journey came during her time at Hopkinsville High School in an algebra class taught by Mrs. Bettye Adams. While reviewing a homework problem, Bloomfield realized she had taken far more steps than her classmates to reach the correct answer. Mrs. Adams said, “You didn’t go the wrong way. You just went the long way.” That lesson continues to shape Bloomfield’s leadership today.

As Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at Midway University, she often repeats those words to students facing academic setbacks, reminding them that mistakes are not endings, they are part of the journey and an opportunity to persevere.

After Bloomfield earned her Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Transylvania University and a Master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Kentucky University, she spent 20 years as a secondary mathematics teacher starting her career in Goosecreek, South Carolina. Then she moved back to Kentucky and taught at Bryan Station Middle School and Henry Clay High School in Lexington.

Though she enjoyed teaching, her perspective shifted during graduate school when she enrolled in a curriculum and instruction course. What began as a requirement quickly became a passion. She says she didn’t love math; she liked it, but she fell in love with instructional design.

That realization led Bloomfield to pursue a Doctoral degree at the University of Kentucky and eventually transition into higher education, where she could fully apply her knowledge and passion. In her current position, she oversees faculty development, instructional systems and teacher preparation programs.

Bloomfield’s journey came full circle with the creation of Midway University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program and its partnership with Christian County Public Schools and Beverly Fort who she graduated HHS with and who serves as the district’s Teacher Recruiter.

Bloomfield says she is who she is today because the school system gave her the foundation to be that person, and this partnership is her way of paying it forward.

Designed to support career-changes and address Kentucky’s ongoing teacher shortage, the partnership provides a 15% tuition reduction to CCPS employees and their families while strengthening the district’s future workforce.

Bloomfield says she’s really proud of being from Hopkinsville and that to be able to give back in the way she is an honor that she doesn’t take lightly.