Ruby Knight, a 2024 graduate of Purdy High School, has joined the Ozarks Teacher Corps, a special scholarship program managed by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to recruit teachers for rural school districts.

Knight is currently studying education at Missouri State University and plans to teach high school business education. As a member of the Ozarks Teacher Corps, Knight recently attended a place-based education workshop at Roaring River State Park near Cassville. Place-based education connects the subjects that students learn in the classroom to the communities in which they live and is a key component of Ozarks Teacher Corps training.

The Ozarks Teacher Corps is part of the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership, an initiative that links rural schools and the communities they anchor. Teacher-education students attending Missouri State University and Drury University in Springfield, Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau may apply to join the Corps, which offers a $4,000 scholarship, renewable for a second year. To join, scholarship recipients must agree to teach for at least three years upon graduation at a rural school district in the region. Established in 2010, the Ozarks Teacher Corps has become a model for similar programs across the country. 

“At the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, we believe that schools are the hearts of rural communities,” said Beth Hersh, director of scholarships for the CFO. “Through place-based education, Ozarks Teacher Corps members can help their future students develop deeper connections to the people, places and experiences that make their communities special.”

CFO scholarship applications opening Jan. 1

Applications for scholarships administered by the CFO, including the Ozarks Teacher Corps Scholarship, will open Jan. 1, 2027. The CFO administers about 450 scholarship funds that provide $1.8 million in scholarships every year for students from central and southern Missouri seeking higher education. For more information, go to cfozarks.org/applyforscholarships.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is the region’s largest public charitable foundation serving donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliates — including Cassville Community Foundation and Monett Area Community Foundation — with $635 million in assets under management as of June 30, 2026. The CFO’s mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone in central and southern Missouri through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership. Learn more at cfozarks.org.