Missouri Association of Rural Education Logo

Kaitlyn Lewis is a graduate of the King City Missouri High School.  She is currently attending the University of Missouri – Columbia, MO, majoring in Special Education.  In 2012, Kaitlyn received the Philip C. Dorth Scholarship.

Kaitlyn shares that one of the biggest benefits of teaching in a rural community is the fact that the school is the heart of the community.  One of her most favorite things about going to school in a small town was the relationships she built with her teachers.  Those relationships still exist today and continue to make her feel valued and cared for.  Building on a desire to carry on a family tradition, both of Kaitlyn’s grandmas, a grandpa, and mom have all taught or teach currently in this type of setting.   

A college instructor shares that Kaitlyn is an outstanding student and it is very clear she will be an outstanding teacher.  Some of the many opportunities to show her leadership skills has been as an officer for and participated in the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCES).  Another instructor shares that Kaitlyn is particularly cognizant of the role that research plays in selecting instructional techniques and demonstrates a solid understanding of how to select good teaching techniques based on effective research principles.

Feeling strongly about returning to a rural community because that is where she got her education, makes it appropriate to congratulate Kaitlyn Lewis as the 2013 David M. Cooper Scholarship recipient.