Just one year ago, Ms. Kathryn Horn could be found teaching 8th grade U.S. History and coaching Cheer at Ramay Junior High School in Fayetteville. Having transferred here and gotten married in October, she is now known as Mrs. Whitfield and teaches 7th grade Social Studies.

Her Greenwood High School World History teacher (and later internship mentor) Mrs. Martin influenced Mrs. Whitfield to pursue teaching Social Studies.

“History has been my favorite subject since I was young, so I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in it from UAFS,” Mrs. Whitfield said. “I wanted to teach history using more diverse perspectives to represent our student population.”

Mrs. Whitfield really appreciates the diversity here and how welcoming the staff were when she first arrived.

“The veteran teachers were very accepting of the new teachers and those of us new to the school,” Mrs. Whitfield said.

A challenge Mrs. Whitfield faces as a Social Studies teacher is her wanting to do more for her students but not having enough time.
“With all the other responsibilities of being a teacher and trying to balance work with personal life, it becomes a challenge sometimes,” Mrs. Whitfield said.

One memorable teacher moment for Mrs. Whitfield happened when she took her Social Studies students to Crystal Bridges to see the We the People and the Black Excellence in Art exhibits.

“I enjoyed taking my students to Crystal Bridges last year to see the We the People and the Black Excellence in Art exhibits because I loved seeing my students make connections to what we learned in class,” Mrs. Whitfield said. “I also enjoyed witnessing how excited they got seeing themselves represented in the art on display.”

Other than her love for students, Mrs. Whitfield also loves dogs. In fact, she would love to open a dog camp called Ruff Resort that operates as a doggie daycare and shelter for senior dogs or that have been in shelters for longer than a year.

Outside of school, Mrs. Whitfield enjoys spending time with her husband Colby and two dogs.

“I am 100% a homebody and love canceled plans!” Mrs. Whitfield said.