Four students from Missouri State University’s College of Education have been selected to receive money to return to their hometowns or another rural setting, to begin their teaching careers.
They will be part of the Ozarks Teacher Corps, a scholarship program funded by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
For their part, the future teachers commit to teaching in a rural district for at least three years after graduation.
As part of the corps, they gain professional development and are able to finish their degrees without financial pressure. The program is open to all college juniors and seniors in the region.
This slate of scholarship recipients include:
The Ozarks Teacher Corps was launched in 2010-11 as part of the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership, an initiative driven by the belief that “public education is a linchpin issue in rural economic development.”
Crumm, who is from Marshfield, enrolled at Missouri State in fall 2023 after earning an associate degree in teacher education at Ozarks Technical Community College.
“Returning home to teach is something I’m looking forward to because I understand the specific needs and culture of my community,” she said, in a release. “I want to give back to the community that shaped who I am today.”
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Rhonda Bishop, co-director for the Center for Rural Education at Missouri State, said public schools serve as the hub of the community. “The impact teachers have on the parents and children they serve is incredibly powerful.”
Bishop graduated from a rural high school and was an educator in rural districts for 29 years. “To know we’re sending some of the best into rural situations is what makes me the proudest.”
Applications for the Ozarks Teacher Corps Scholarship will open Jan. 1, 2025. The CFO provides about $1.7 million in scholarships every year for students from central and southern Missouri.
For more information, go to cfozarks.org/applyforscholarships.
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