Fairfield ISD Alumni Spotlight | Class of 2015

For Fairfield High School graduate Caitlynn Stone, helping design the new Fairfield High School is more than another engineering project. It is an opportunity to give back to the school and community that helped shape her future.

A 2015 FHS graduate, Stone is now a civil engineer with Kimley-Horn and a member of the project team bringing Fairfield ISD’s new high school to life. Her work includes designing the infrastructure that will support the campus for generations of students to come.

What makes her involvement especially meaningful is that she actively pursued the opportunity to work on the project.

"When I heard that the bond had passed, I knew immediately that I wanted the opportunity to be involved," Stone shared.

She reached out to Fairfield ISD Superintendent Joe Craig to ask about the project's civil engineering needs. Craig connected her with Jeffrey Floyd at Claycomb Associates, Architects, and conversations began in May 2025. Kimley-Horn subsequently submitted a proposal and joined the project team.

"This wasn't a project that just happened to come across my desk," Stone explained. "I actively pursued it because Fairfield is home, and I knew how meaningful it would be to have the opportunity to help build something that will serve Fairfield students for generations."

A Foundation Built in Fairfield

Stone's connection to Fairfield runs deep. Her parents, Steve and Cheryl Stone, are both members of the Fairfield High School Class of 1983. Her mother has taught chemistry at FHS for 40 years and has also coached cheerleading, basketball, and track.

During her own years at FHS, Caitlynn participated in band, FFA, athletics, Student Council, Beta Club, and FCA. Those experiences allowed her to build relationships with teachers, coaches, sponsors, and classmates who helped shape her future.

Although she did not initially know she wanted to become a civil engineer, she was always drawn to math and science.

"The teachers I had at Fairfield gave me a strong foundation in those subjects and encouraged me to challenge myself academically," she said. "That foundation ultimately helped prepare me for engineering school, even though I didn't know at the time exactly where it would lead me."

After graduating from FHS, Stone attended Texas A&M University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2019.

She has worked in civil engineering for approximately seven years, including five years with Kimley-Horn. Her professional experience includes the civil engineering design of commercial developments, from grading and drainage to water and sewer infrastructure, paving, and project coordination.

Building a New High School from the Ground Up

As the civil engineer for the new Fairfield High School, Stone is responsible for the civil engineering design of the new campus, including much of the infrastructure that will make the facility function.

Her work includes designing the underground water, sanitary sewer, and storm drainage systems, as well as the grading of the property to ensure proper drainage throughout the campus.

She and her team have also studied how water moves onto, across, and away from the property to ensure the development properly manages stormwater and does not negatively impact the surrounding floodplain.

"There is a lot happening beneath the ground and behind the scenes to make a campus like this function properly," Stone explained.

While much of her work will not be visible once construction is complete, it will play an important role in supporting the new campus.

Stone has also enjoyed working alongside the architects, engineers, contractors, district staff, City staff, and community members involved in the project.

"It has been amazing to work alongside people who genuinely care about the project, the students, and the community and who are willing to go the extra mile to make it happen," she said.

For Stone, one of the most anticipated moments will be seeing the completed campus filled with students.

"As an engineer, I spend so much time looking at the project as plans, elevations, calculations, utilities, and individual pieces," she shared. "Seeing those drawings become an actual school—and eventually seeing students walking through it every day—will be pretty special."

Inspiring the Next Generation of Eagles

Stone hopes her journey from Fairfield High School student to civil engineer will encourage current students to explore their interests, pursue opportunities, and recognize the possibilities ahead of them.

Her advice to students interested in engineering is to seek internships, ask questions, and develop strong communication skills alongside their technical abilities.

"Engineering is ultimately about solving problems for people," she said. "Some of the most valuable skills I have developed in my career have had just as much to do with communication and working with people as they have with engineering."

She also hopes students will recognize that growing up in a small town does not limit what they can accomplish.

"We grew up in the same small town, with many of the same opportunities, and maybe even some of the same teachers. I hope students see that where you start does not limit where you can go."

Stone credits the support of Fairfield teachers, coaches, mentors, local organizations, and community members, including those who provided scholarships that helped her attend Texas A&M, with helping her reach her goals.

Now, she has the opportunity to use the career she built to give back to the community that invested in her.

"Fairfield helped give me the foundation to build my career, and getting to use that career to give something back to Fairfield is something I am extremely grateful for."

As construction progresses on the new Fairfield High School, Stone looks forward to the day she can walk through the finished campus and see students learning in a school she helped make possible.

For this Fairfield Eagle, the opportunity to help build the next chapter of her alma mater is a full-circle moment.