Meet Our Staff

Kara Candelaria

Kara has been teaching for over 20 years in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Kara taught Spanish at Lathrop High School for 16 years before coming to BEST. She attended Pearl Creek Elementary, Ryan Middle School, and graduated from West Valley High School. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from UAF. She recently completed an Educational Leadership program and earned her Administrative Certification with the State of Alaska. Kara has three children, two of whom also graduated from West Valley High School. She homeschools her daughter with BEST.  In her spare time, Kara enjoys doing CrossFit, lifting weights, traveling, and spending time with her family. Her family is deeply rooted in the local Suzuki music community. Both of her boys played violin and viola through the Suzuki program and now her daughter is a violin and piano student.