The 2009 Kentucky Administrator of the Year is the principal of Cumberland Trace Elementary here in Warren County and Dr. Mary Evans is also this week's Hometown Hero.

"When I was in the third grade, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I had some wonderful teachers in my life. My mother was a teacher, and I admired her very much, and then I had wonderful teachers in my elementary school. I decided that I wanted to follow in their footsteps," says Dr. Evans.

With always having the dream of being a teacher Dr. Mary Evans didn't know she would end up as a principal.

"Through some moves to a different state and some different opportunities that opened up, I decided that I might like to try to be a principal. I loved being a teacher, and I also love being a principal," says Evans.

Her students, faculty, and staff love her.

In fact, they appreciate her so much they nominated to be The 2009 Kentucky Administrator of the Year, and she won.

"I work with a lot of great administrators in Warren County and all over the state, and to kind of be chosen to represent them as a good administrator was a big deal. I felt very honored by that," says Evans.

"She will never ask of us anything that she is unwilling to do herself. As a matter of fact, we'll see her doing it before she'll ever ask us to do it. She goes that extra mile every single day," says Patrice McCrary, Cumberland Trace Elementary Teacher.

This past week, since she won a state-wide award friends held a reception in her honor that included a Kentucky-theme from the food to the drinks.

"Anytime you have the opportunity to touch children and to make a difference in their lives. Their current lives as well as hopefully influence their future lives and guide them in the way to being successful young men and young women, that's a great honor and that's a great privilege," says Evans.

Evans says she hopes to continue working in her field for many years to come.