Kim Mayfield, upper right, is shown with husband Barry and their children, Kayti, 23, Josh, 21, Kyle, 19, and Megan, 18. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Like other employees at Liberty Middle School, Kim Mayfield always strives to put students first and do what is in their best interest. She is Liberty’s 2015 “Staff Member of the Year.”

As secretary at Madison’s original middle school, Mayfield coordinates daily responsibilities that cover various needs, ranging from answering phones and parents’ questions, ordering office and school supplies and helping students with issues.

In addition, Mayfield handles administrators’ requests. “I also am on the school safety committee and head the yearly appreciation luncheon for volunteers,” Mayfield said.

This school year, she served on the committee for Liberty’s 25th anniversary celebration. “We held several activities, including sports recognition nights for our fall, winter and spring sports and a 25th-Year Celebration in October,” Mayfield said.

When Liberty was built in 1990, a temporary wall was built on one side of the gym. “We’ve raised funds to ‘tear down the wall,’ expand the gym and replace it with a permanent wall,” she said.

Mayfield agrees with popular opinion that Liberty has a “family feel. I’m blessed to work with amazing people. We lift and support each other.”

She left Brigham Young University to become a wife and mother. “Truly, my most important job, but I always knew I wanted to work in a school,” Mayfield said.

When her youngest child entered kindergarten, Mayfield started substitute teaching for Madison City Schools. Nine years ago, she accepted the job of permanent substitute at Liberty. “A year later, I moved into my current position,” she said.

She and husband Barry, a systems support specialist at Redstone Federal Credit Union, will celebrate their 24th anniversary in June. They have four children.

Kayti, 23, recently graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in English. Josh, 21, and Kyle, 19, are students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Megan, 18, graduated from James Clemens High School this year and will enter BYU-I this fall.