Oct. 27, 2026
Corps members attend place-based education workshop at Roaring River State Park
Nine college students have joined the Ozarks Teacher Corps, a special scholarship program managed by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to recruit teachers for rural school districts:
- Brandy Brashear, a 2020 graduate of Bakersfield High School, currently studying at Missouri State University through its West Plains campus completion program
- Ashlyn Cowden, a 2024 graduate of Bolivar High School, currently studying at Missouri State University
- Shelley Doughty, a 1999 graduate of Lebanon High School, currently studying at Missouri State University
- Cailyn Kite, a 2025 graduate of Reeds Spring High School, currently studying at Missouri State University
- Ruby Knight, a 2024 graduate of Purdy High School, currently studying at Missouri State University
- Jaron Malotte, a 2023 graduate of Sarcoxie High School, currently studying at Missouri Southern State University
- Alyssa Powell, a 2024 graduate of Lamar High School, currently studying at Missouri Southern State University
- Daunte Smiles, a 2022 graduate of Webb City High School, currently studying at Missouri Southern State University
- Linzie Zbaren, a 2025 graduate of Marshfield High School, currently studying at Missouri Southern State University
Brandy Brashear and Cailyn Kite, Missouri State University students and new Ozarks Teacher Corps members, participate in a place-based education workshop at Roaring River State Park near Cassville.
As members of the Ozarks Teacher Corps, the students recently joined second-year Corps members for a place-based education workshop at Roaring River State Park near Cassville. The workshop was led by Leslie Cook, head of professional learning for Teton Science Schools. Place-based education connects the subjects that students learn in the classroom to the communities in which they live and is a key component of Ozarks Teacher Corps training.
The Ozarks Teacher Corps is part of the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership, an initiative that links rural schools and the communities they anchor. Teacher-education students attending Missouri State University and Drury University in Springfield, Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau may apply to join the Corps, which offers a $4,000 scholarship, renewable for a second year. To join, scholarship recipients must agree to teach for at least three years upon graduation at a rural school district in the region. Established in 2010, the Ozarks Teacher Corps has become a model for similar programs across the country.
“At the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, we believe that schools are the hearts of rural communities,” said Beth Hersh, director of scholarships for the CFO. “Through place-based education, Ozarks Teacher Corps members can help their future students develop deeper connections to the people, places and experiences that make their communities special.”
CFO scholarship applications opening Jan. 1
Applications for scholarships administered by the CFO, including the Ozarks Teacher Corps Scholarship, will open Jan. 1, 2027. The CFO administers about 450 scholarship funds that provide $1.8 million in scholarships every year for students from central and southern Missouri seeking higher education. For more information, go to cfozarks.org/applyforscholarships.
