Kara Byrn Dowdy, an English teacher and department chair at Mayfield High School with 21 years of experience in the classroom, was named the high school finalist for the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award during a ceremony in Frankfort on Oct. 7. Mayfield Independent Superintendent Billy Edwards praised Dowdy’s work in her classroom, her district and the community, saying she has “a passion for academic achievement for all students.” (Photo submitted)
(MAYFIELD, KY) – Kara Byrn Dowdy, an English teacher and department chair at Mayfield High School (Mayfield Independent) with 21 years of experience in the classroom, discovered a significant need for her district following the birth of her twins more than a decade ago: resources for students with special needs.
In 2013, Dowdy established the Different Abilities program to raise awareness and funds for students with special needs.
“I didn’t want teachers in those classrooms to feel like they couldn’t have something that a student needed,” Dowdy said. “Just because you have one student one year doesn’t mean the same student with the same diagnosis is going to need the same resources (in the future), and it can get very expensive.”
The largest event for the Different Abilities program is an annual dodgeball tournament that has raised thousands of dollars and includes several ways for those with special needs to participate, whether that be playing in the tournament or helping run the event.
“I want them to feel like they are a part of something,” Dowdy said.
The Different Abilities program is just one of the reasons why Dowdy was named the high school finalist for the 2026 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award during a ceremony in Frankfort on Oct. 7.
Different Abilities was conceived not too long after Dowdy gave birth to twins, one of whom was diagnosed with autism.
“I started realizing that maybe what I’m doing in the classroom is not enough, and maybe I’m not meeting the needs of my special needs kids like I should be,” she said. “And I started second guessing everything that I was doing.”
Originally, Dowdy sold t-shirts to raise funding and awareness for students with special needs. As the success of the t-shirts grew and people started making independent donations to the Different Abilities fund, Dowdy created a dodgeball tournament.
“It became like a little club where students were not only helping me sell t-shirts and things, they were bringing the students together,” she said.
While the Different Abilities program progressed, Dowdy observed another need in her district: she noticed high schools weren’t as well-stocked with donated gifts during the holidays compared to elementary and middle schools. In 2021, she began a holiday book donation drive, focusing on popular young adult literature.
Dowdy said one of her motivations for the book drive was to help students enjoy reading by providing literature that’s more appealing to them, as opposed to some of the classroom literature that may not be the easiest or the most enjoyable read.
“I want them to enjoy what they read, and we know that reading obviously helps in all the different content areas,” she said. “And so basically I just want them to have some sort of Christmas present, but I want it to be helpful; I want it to be educational.”
Dowdy said the idea “took off like wildfire” and she ended up with double the number of books she originally needed after the community’s donations.
Before Dowdy was able to start distributing presents, the region was struck by a series of powerful tornadoes, including a deadly, high-end EF4 tornado through Mayfield.
“We didn’t know when we were going to see our students again,” she said. “I had these books that, I thought, I need to deliver these, but I don’t know where they are.”
Dowdy said she managed to deliver books to some students as cleanup efforts were underway.
“I had a couple students who literally said, ‘That book is what saved me. I didn’t have my Chromebook, I lost everything,’” she said.
Dowdy said other students received the books by picking them up at the school gym, which also offered emergency supplies during the tornado recovery, or when classes resumed in January.
And the book donations have continued to grow in what has become an annual event for the district.
“We have so many people who are purchasing books because they know that this book is a book that might go toward an (English learner) student; this book might be geared toward a special needs student; this book might go to a student who needs something at home because of what’s going on in their family life,” she said.
Mayfield Independent Superintendent Billy Edwards praised Dowdy’s work in her classroom, her district and the community, saying she has “a passion for academic achievement for all students.”
“Her willingness to go above and beyond for her students is evident in her everyday actions in the classroom,” Edwards said. “The engaging and rigorous activities that she plans offer her students an exciting experience during their high school career.”
Dowdy said she discovered a love for education early on, guided by her mother, who taught physical education.
“At first I thought I wanted to be like her, and then I realized I was not nearly as athletic – can’t throw a ball very well,” she said. “And so, as I got into middle school, my strengths were in grammar and writing, and I always felt like I had a connection with my English teachers.”
Dowdy earned her bachelor’s degree at Murray State University, and her first job was at Murray High School (Murray Independent) following her student teaching experience in the district. Dowdy would later earn a master’s degree and an education specialist degree in educational administration and instructional supervision from the university as well.
Four years into her tenure at Murray High School, an English teaching position opened at Mayfield High School. Dowdy said she always wanted to work in her hometown, but it was still a tough decision to move on from a neighboring district where she started her career.
“But I ultimately did make the decision to return here because I knew this is where my husband and I wanted to have our family,” she said. “My sisters and my parents were here, and I just thought, this is exactly where I need to be.”
Dowdy said she loves exploring literature with her students because there isn’t always a singular answer to the questions she poses.
“With literature, there are multiple different perspectives,” she said. “And I love the fact that I’m able to connect it to their life stories; that I’m able to connect it to things that are going on in the real world.”
And as a Kentucky Teacher of the Year finalist, Dowdy said she wants to bring excitement into the classroom, which helps get students engaged and helps bring more people into the teaching profession by showcasing how passionate the work can be.
“I’m like a cheerleader in the classroom,” she said. “I want to encourage students to be the best that they can be. It might sound a little corny, but I’m like that teacher who plays music in the hallways, and I’m that teacher who’s going to greet you at the door and compliment your haircut and your new shoes.”
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