The Kentucky Department of Education named a Mayfield educator as the state’s 2026 High School Teacher of the Year at an awards ceremony Tuesday.
Kara Byrn Dowdy, an English teacher and department chair at Mayfield High School, has 21 years of experience in the classroom, according to the KDE.
Dowdy established the Different Abilities fundraising program at Mayfield Independent in 2013 after recognizing the district’s lack of resources for students with special needs. She told KDE that she had the idea for the program after she gave birth to twins, one of whom was diagnosed with autism.
She also began a holiday book drive in 2021 after noticing a lack in donated gifts for the holiday season from the high school – and ended up with double the books she anticipated.
After Mayfield was hit by an EF 4 tornado in December 2021, Dowdy ended up distributing books to students during Grave County’s clean up effort.
Mayfield Independent Schools superintendent Billy Edwards said Dowdy’s willingness to go “above and beyond for her students” shows in her day-to-day actions in her classroom.
Dowdy was also named a finalist for the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, but that honor ultimately went to Spencer County Middle School teacher Michelle Gross.
