Kimberly (Melanson) Paolino
Graduating class: 1997
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2011
Hall of Fame Category: Athlete
Kimberly is certainly among the greatest female athletes in the history of Fairhaven High School sports. She earned eleven varsity letters and was honored with nine South Coast Conference All-Star Team selections in volleyball, indoor track and spring track & field.
Kimberly played four years of volleyball earning three varsity letters and serving as captain in her senior year. She was selected to the South Coast Conference All-Star Team in each year from 1995-1996 as well as being selected to the Standard Times All-Star Teams in 1995 and 1996. She excelled at the middle hitter position where she was the premier blocker and averaged five kills per game.
As successful as Kimberly was in volleyball, it was indoor track and spring track & field where she excelled while competing in the 50, 100 and 200 sprints, the 300 and 400 middle distances, and the high jump and triple jump field events. In her four years with the indoor track program, Kimberly earned four varsity letters and was selected team captain in her senior year. She was undefeated in the South Coast Conference in the 300 meter run for three years with a Greater New Bedford area best time of 38.6 seconds in the 300 yard sprint. She tied the school record in the indoor high jump at 5 feet 2 inches and then set a school record in the 300 yard run at 38.6. She was selected to the South Coast Conference All-Star Team and the Standard Times All-Star Team in each year from 1995-1997.
Kimberly continued her remarkable performances in the spring track & field seasons where she was undefeated in the South Coast Conference in the 400 meter run for three consecutive seasons from 1995-1997, She set a South Coast Conference Championship Meet record in the 400 meter with a time of 59.2 seconds. In 1997 she posted a 59.5 to take first place in the 400 meter at the State Class D meet. She was also a member of Fairhaven’s first place high jump team and a member of the fourth place 4 X 100 relay team at the State relays that year. Kimberly’s 59.2 time broke the school record in the 400 meter and she made an impressive personal best high jump with a leap of 5 feet 3 inches.
She was the recipient of the FHS Athlete for All Seasons Award in each of her four years and in 1997 she was honored with the FHS Outstanding Female Athlete Award and the Mel Entin Award. She was honored by the South Coast Conference as the recipient of the Outstanding Overall Female Performer in Indoor and Spring Track in 1996 & 1997 as well as the 1997 SCC Championship Female Athlete of the Meet. In 1997 Kimberly was presented the Standard Times Leadership Award and the Standard Times Most Dedicated Athlete Award.
Kimberly was a member and Senior Editor of the Yearbook and member of the Spanish Club while maintaining her National Honor Society status graduating 13th in her class. She went on to earn a B.S. in Biology at Northeastern University and a Masters Degree in Nutritional Education also at Northeastern. She is currently living in Boston with her husband Jonathan and their two children, Jacob (22 months) and Seraphina (5 months).