The Iditarod Education Department is pleased to announce that Kate Newmyer is our 2024 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.  Kate accepted this job after a through and rigorous application and selection process.  Based on her written application, she was selected as one of 3 finalists that were invited to Alaska prior to this year’s race to complete the application through in-person interviews, daily website postings, conference presentations, and other tasks. She is the 25^th Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.

Kate Newmyer 2024 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™️

In this statement from her application, Kate embodies the role of the Teacher on the Trail^TM. “I decided to begin as early in the year as possible, and to make everything I could connected to the Iditarod in some way while still adhering to the district curriculum and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.”

 She currently is a 5^th grade language arts and social studies teacher in the Clear Creek ISD, TX.  Kate’s teaching experience is broad and includes music education, university art history adjunct professor, home school educator, and museum curator as well as two master’s degrees in education. An active teacher, Kate serves on several committees for her school district and as an adult leader and merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America.

She says: I started my teaching career in Colorado in 2006 as a secondary music teacher, but when my family of four moved to Texas, I moved over to 5^th grade English Language Arts and U.S. history. Iditarod sled dogs are endlessly fascinating to me, and that’s where I ground my love of the race. In 2018, I met sled dogs at Denali National Park. After hearing Blair Braverman talk about her dogs and share images on Twitter, I had to find out more! I started teaching about the Iditarod, and now the Iditarod is woven into practically everything we do in my classroom. Something I appreciate about my students year after year is that they love dogs just as much as I do. This shared love is a connecting point for us.

 My family consists of my husband, two teenagers, a truly wonderful cattle dog named Gus, a cat named Ed, and a snake. Outside of teaching I play the oboe. I am a knitter, weaver, and voracious reader. I hope to explore connections between the Iditarod, the arts, and STEM.

What excites me most about being Teacher on the Trail™ is sharing my love of this amazing race with you and your students.  See you on the Trail!

Kate begins her one-year tenure in July.