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Louisville, KY 40257
Louisville, KY 40257
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KCSS Officers and Steering Committee Members
Carly Muetterties, Executive Director
Maddie Shepard, President
Joseph Frech, Vice President
Amanda McGrath, Secretary
Maddie Shepard, President
Joseph Frech, Vice President
Amanda McGrath, Secretary
KCSS Steering Committee Members
Summer Amro
Kennita Ballard
Thomas Clouse
Jacqueline Coleman
Rick Daniel
Scott Dobler
Danielle Durbin
Jennifer Faith
Allison Hunt
Rebecca Ingram
Cassie Lyles
Tyler Murphy
Ryan New
Sam Northern
Kimberly Sergent
Kennita Ballard
Thomas Clouse
Jacqueline Coleman
Rick Daniel
Scott Dobler
Danielle Durbin
Jennifer Faith
Allison Hunt
Rebecca Ingram
Cassie Lyles
Tyler Murphy
Ryan New
Sam Northern
Kimberly Sergent
Maddie Shepard, President
Maddie Shepard is currently serving as KCSS President. Maddie is a Deeper Learning Resource Teacher in the Curriculum Design and Learning Innovation Department in Jefferson County, Kentucky. As part of this position, Maddie coaches teachers and leaders alike on all things Deeper Learning. Shifting educators to more student centered and student driven pedagogies and practices, Maddie coaches teachers in Project Based Learning, Personalized Learning, Student Choice, Building Democratic Classrooms, Inquiry, Blended and Self Paced models, just to name a few. Maddie also serves on the Jefferson County Teachers Association Board of Directors, as a delegate to the Kentucky Educators Association, as well as a National Educators Association delegate. Maddie’s training began in 2008 at the University of Kentucky, where Maddie attained a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Kentucky. Maddie then obtained a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership with a certification in Education Law from the University of Indiana at Bloomington. Maddie hopes to eventually attend law school and earn her J.D. in the coming years. Maddie believes in handing ownership of learning and the school experience over to the student. Maddie believes in restorative and democratic environments and instructional experiences that are authentic, employing the learner as a decision maker. Maddie believes in empowering learners to be informed and engaged in the world around them, armed with the tools to advocate for real change in their local and global communities.
Carly Muetterties, Executive Director
Carly Muetterties is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, completing a Ph.D. in Education Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies. She earned her BA in Secondary Education in Social Studies, Masters in History, and Masters in German Studies at the University of Kentucky, and her Masters in Education at Georgetown College. She taught high school social studies for several years in Lexington, KY before returning to graduate school. Her research focuses on integrating civic education within all subjects, specifically world history. She is guided by the belief that applying learning to relevant civic matters empowers students to meaningfully engage in civic life. She serves as the managing editor of C3Teachers.org and has worked on several projects with organizations including the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Boards, and the Korean War Legacy Project.
Scott Dobler
Scott Dobler has served as a geographer for Western Kentucky University since 2000. He received undergraduate degrees in geography and biology at Morehead State University. He received his MA at Bowling Green State University in synoptic climatology. He served in the Army National Guard in a number of units and capacities from 1985 – 2011. He was appointed by Ernie Fletcher as the State Geographer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2006. He serves Kentucky as a Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) and continues to serve as a coordinator for the Kentucky Geographic Alliance since 2004. He currently represents National Geographic as the state liaison for geographic education in Kentucky and is also the chairperson for the Kentucky Geographic Names Committee.
Allison Hunt
Allison Hunt is a social studies teacher at duPont Manual High School where she primarily teaches Advanced Placement Human Geography.
Rebecca Ingram
Rebecca currently serves as the Instructional Coach for Social Studies with Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. With 14 years in education she has been a classroom teacher, class sponsor, department chair, and academy leader at Marion C. Moore School in Louisville, Kentucky. She has served in several leadership roles in the district prior to becoming an instructional coach, including curriculum and assessment review, Facing History and Ourselves Teacher Leaders, and partnership programs with Universal Design for Learning and Literacy Design Collaborative. Rebecca’s personal education experiences began with a Bachelor’s in History Teaching in 2004 from Eastern Kentucky University, continued with a Masters in Secondary Education in 2011 from Indiana University Southeast, and a Specialist in Education with certification as Supervisor of Curriculum in 2017. As an educational leader, Rebecca believes in providing opportunities for all people to learn and experience many things. She develops learning opportunities for students, educators, and members of her church at Beechland Baptist Church. As a member of NCSS, ASCD, KEA, NEA, and KCSS she seeks understanding for her own growth and development, sharing her learning with others.
Tyler Murphy
Tyler Murphy is a Social Studies Teacher at Boyle County High School where he teaches AP World History and AP U.S. Government and Politics. Murphy is also a Member of the Fayette County Board of Education, serving as the Board’s only classroom teacher and youngest member. Murphy has taught for eight years and also works with the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program during the summer months as an Associate Campus Director. Murphy is active in the Kentucky Education Association, with Lexington’s First Presbyterian Church, as a member of the Statewide Selection Committee for the Governor’s Scholars Program, and as a volunteer with the alumni mentoring program at Transylvania University. Murphy earned his BA from Transylvania University in Political Science and History and MA from Morehead State University in Education. Murphy is passionate about public service and issue advocacy--he has served as a volunteer and paid staffer on political campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. And in 2008 and 2016, he served as an elected delegate to the National Presidential Convention. It’s no surprise, then, that Murphy is a lowkey C-SPAN fanboy.
Sam Northern
Sam Northern is a National Board Certified Teacher-Librarian at Simpson Elementary School in Franklin, Kentucky. He serves as President of the Southern Kentucky Association of School Librarians and Secretary of the Kentucky Association of School Librarians. Sam is a National Geographic Certified Educator and a member of the National Geographic Society Advisory Council for Kentucky. In 2008, Sam graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Morehead State University and a Masters of Science in Library Media Education from WKU. In 2014, Sam was selected for the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program where he spent four weeks in China. Since then, Sam has voyaged to Antarctica as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, worked aboard a research vessel on the Atlantic Ocean as a NOAA Teacher at Sea, and traveled to The Kingdom of Bahrain as a Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce TEACH Fellow. From January to April 2018, Sam traveled to Finland as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program to research best practices for project-based learning. A three-time winner of the Kentucky Education Association’s Diversity Lesson Plan Contest, Sam draws on his experiences to encourage students to celebrate the splendid dimensions of our world. He believes that students’ exploration of authentic topics through advanced technologies nurtures a global perspective and community mindedness.
Thomas Clouse
Thomas Clouse is doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, completing a PhD. in Education Sciences focused on Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in the Social Studies. Before beginning doctoral work, Thomas worked teaching social studies at Bryan Station High School in Lexington (2008-2014). At Station, he taught World Civilizations and began the AP Human Geography class at the school. He also served as the Lacrosse coach and Teacher Advisory Group lead. His academic research focuses on Geographic education. This has manifested in examining the way that Critical Geography can facilitate more valuable and relevant examinations of space, and also how students themselves negotiate and navigate the spaces in which they live. Thomas serves as the editor of the KCSS Journal, the Kentucky Social Studies Advocate (KSSA). KSSA is always looking for articles that highlight social studies research and practice. So if you are researching methods or developing awesome lessons, then submit already!!! He has also worked with the Korean War Legacy Project, the World History Digital Education Foundation, National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and the National Boards. His goal for the year is to start a KCSS intramural basketball team. Font Preference: Cambria. Pronouns: Him/He.
Summer Amro
Summer Amro is a first year Social Studies teacher at Woodford County High School in Versailles, KY. She spent the last year student teaching at both Lafayette High School and Bryan Station High School in Lexington, KY. She teaches both Global Studies and Civics, which are two of her favorite subjects to teach teens! She loves seeing her freshmen and sophomores develop a love for Social Studies. She completed her BA in Education at the University of Kentucky, as well as her MA in Education through the MIC program at the University of Kentucky. Summer is excited to be on the Steering Committee alongside so many well established educators and scholars. She looks forward to seeing Social Studies Education grow in Kentucky!
Joseph Frech
Joseph Frech is currently serving as KCSS Vice-President. Joseph is a Social Studies teacher at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He serves as Team Lead with Freshman Academy, where he teaches AP Human Geography and Exploring Civics. Joseph emphasizes procedural knowledge, as well as the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), to build transferable and life-preparatory skills among his students. He is involved in a variety of leadership capacities at the school, including the School Based Decision Making Committee, the Interview Committee, the Master Schedule Committee, and he is a New Teacher Mentor, Captain of his Professional Learning Community, and a member of the 2018 Kentucky Classroom Teachers Enacting Positive Solutions (CTEPS) Cohort. He is also an accomplished head wrestling coach at multiple schools in Jefferson County. Joseph completed the BS in Religion at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, the MAT in Secondary Education at the University of the Cumberlands, the Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at the University of Louisville, and he is currently a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kentucky. Joseph believes that all students can learn and grow given the time, encouragement, and resources to do so. He embraces an active lifestyle and enjoys time with his wife, Jessica, and children, Johnathan, Jeremiah, Lilah, and Leciah.
Maddie Shepard is currently serving as KCSS President. Maddie is a Deeper Learning Resource Teacher in the Curriculum Design and Learning Innovation Department in Jefferson County, Kentucky. As part of this position, Maddie coaches teachers and leaders alike on all things Deeper Learning. Shifting educators to more student centered and student driven pedagogies and practices, Maddie coaches teachers in Project Based Learning, Personalized Learning, Student Choice, Building Democratic Classrooms, Inquiry, Blended and Self Paced models, just to name a few. Maddie also serves on the Jefferson County Teachers Association Board of Directors, as a delegate to the Kentucky Educators Association, as well as a National Educators Association delegate. Maddie’s training began in 2008 at the University of Kentucky, where Maddie attained a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Kentucky. Maddie then obtained a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership with a certification in Education Law from the University of Indiana at Bloomington. Maddie hopes to eventually attend law school and earn her J.D. in the coming years. Maddie believes in handing ownership of learning and the school experience over to the student. Maddie believes in restorative and democratic environments and instructional experiences that are authentic, employing the learner as a decision maker. Maddie believes in empowering learners to be informed and engaged in the world around them, armed with the tools to advocate for real change in their local and global communities.
Carly Muetterties, Executive Director
Carly Muetterties is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, completing a Ph.D. in Education Sciences, Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies. She earned her BA in Secondary Education in Social Studies, Masters in History, and Masters in German Studies at the University of Kentucky, and her Masters in Education at Georgetown College. She taught high school social studies for several years in Lexington, KY before returning to graduate school. Her research focuses on integrating civic education within all subjects, specifically world history. She is guided by the belief that applying learning to relevant civic matters empowers students to meaningfully engage in civic life. She serves as the managing editor of C3Teachers.org and has worked on several projects with organizations including the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Boards, and the Korean War Legacy Project.
Scott Dobler
Scott Dobler has served as a geographer for Western Kentucky University since 2000. He received undergraduate degrees in geography and biology at Morehead State University. He received his MA at Bowling Green State University in synoptic climatology. He served in the Army National Guard in a number of units and capacities from 1985 – 2011. He was appointed by Ernie Fletcher as the State Geographer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2006. He serves Kentucky as a Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) and continues to serve as a coordinator for the Kentucky Geographic Alliance since 2004. He currently represents National Geographic as the state liaison for geographic education in Kentucky and is also the chairperson for the Kentucky Geographic Names Committee.
Allison Hunt
Allison Hunt is a social studies teacher at duPont Manual High School where she primarily teaches Advanced Placement Human Geography.
Rebecca Ingram
Rebecca currently serves as the Instructional Coach for Social Studies with Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. With 14 years in education she has been a classroom teacher, class sponsor, department chair, and academy leader at Marion C. Moore School in Louisville, Kentucky. She has served in several leadership roles in the district prior to becoming an instructional coach, including curriculum and assessment review, Facing History and Ourselves Teacher Leaders, and partnership programs with Universal Design for Learning and Literacy Design Collaborative. Rebecca’s personal education experiences began with a Bachelor’s in History Teaching in 2004 from Eastern Kentucky University, continued with a Masters in Secondary Education in 2011 from Indiana University Southeast, and a Specialist in Education with certification as Supervisor of Curriculum in 2017. As an educational leader, Rebecca believes in providing opportunities for all people to learn and experience many things. She develops learning opportunities for students, educators, and members of her church at Beechland Baptist Church. As a member of NCSS, ASCD, KEA, NEA, and KCSS she seeks understanding for her own growth and development, sharing her learning with others.
Tyler Murphy
Tyler Murphy is a Social Studies Teacher at Boyle County High School where he teaches AP World History and AP U.S. Government and Politics. Murphy is also a Member of the Fayette County Board of Education, serving as the Board’s only classroom teacher and youngest member. Murphy has taught for eight years and also works with the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program during the summer months as an Associate Campus Director. Murphy is active in the Kentucky Education Association, with Lexington’s First Presbyterian Church, as a member of the Statewide Selection Committee for the Governor’s Scholars Program, and as a volunteer with the alumni mentoring program at Transylvania University. Murphy earned his BA from Transylvania University in Political Science and History and MA from Morehead State University in Education. Murphy is passionate about public service and issue advocacy--he has served as a volunteer and paid staffer on political campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. And in 2008 and 2016, he served as an elected delegate to the National Presidential Convention. It’s no surprise, then, that Murphy is a lowkey C-SPAN fanboy.
Sam Northern
Sam Northern is a National Board Certified Teacher-Librarian at Simpson Elementary School in Franklin, Kentucky. He serves as President of the Southern Kentucky Association of School Librarians and Secretary of the Kentucky Association of School Librarians. Sam is a National Geographic Certified Educator and a member of the National Geographic Society Advisory Council for Kentucky. In 2008, Sam graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Morehead State University and a Masters of Science in Library Media Education from WKU. In 2014, Sam was selected for the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program where he spent four weeks in China. Since then, Sam has voyaged to Antarctica as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, worked aboard a research vessel on the Atlantic Ocean as a NOAA Teacher at Sea, and traveled to The Kingdom of Bahrain as a Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce TEACH Fellow. From January to April 2018, Sam traveled to Finland as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program to research best practices for project-based learning. A three-time winner of the Kentucky Education Association’s Diversity Lesson Plan Contest, Sam draws on his experiences to encourage students to celebrate the splendid dimensions of our world. He believes that students’ exploration of authentic topics through advanced technologies nurtures a global perspective and community mindedness.
Thomas Clouse
Thomas Clouse is doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky, completing a PhD. in Education Sciences focused on Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in the Social Studies. Before beginning doctoral work, Thomas worked teaching social studies at Bryan Station High School in Lexington (2008-2014). At Station, he taught World Civilizations and began the AP Human Geography class at the school. He also served as the Lacrosse coach and Teacher Advisory Group lead. His academic research focuses on Geographic education. This has manifested in examining the way that Critical Geography can facilitate more valuable and relevant examinations of space, and also how students themselves negotiate and navigate the spaces in which they live. Thomas serves as the editor of the KCSS Journal, the Kentucky Social Studies Advocate (KSSA). KSSA is always looking for articles that highlight social studies research and practice. So if you are researching methods or developing awesome lessons, then submit already!!! He has also worked with the Korean War Legacy Project, the World History Digital Education Foundation, National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and the National Boards. His goal for the year is to start a KCSS intramural basketball team. Font Preference: Cambria. Pronouns: Him/He.
Summer Amro
Summer Amro is a first year Social Studies teacher at Woodford County High School in Versailles, KY. She spent the last year student teaching at both Lafayette High School and Bryan Station High School in Lexington, KY. She teaches both Global Studies and Civics, which are two of her favorite subjects to teach teens! She loves seeing her freshmen and sophomores develop a love for Social Studies. She completed her BA in Education at the University of Kentucky, as well as her MA in Education through the MIC program at the University of Kentucky. Summer is excited to be on the Steering Committee alongside so many well established educators and scholars. She looks forward to seeing Social Studies Education grow in Kentucky!
Joseph Frech
Joseph Frech is currently serving as KCSS Vice-President. Joseph is a Social Studies teacher at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He serves as Team Lead with Freshman Academy, where he teaches AP Human Geography and Exploring Civics. Joseph emphasizes procedural knowledge, as well as the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), to build transferable and life-preparatory skills among his students. He is involved in a variety of leadership capacities at the school, including the School Based Decision Making Committee, the Interview Committee, the Master Schedule Committee, and he is a New Teacher Mentor, Captain of his Professional Learning Community, and a member of the 2018 Kentucky Classroom Teachers Enacting Positive Solutions (CTEPS) Cohort. He is also an accomplished head wrestling coach at multiple schools in Jefferson County. Joseph completed the BS in Religion at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, the MAT in Secondary Education at the University of the Cumberlands, the Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at the University of Louisville, and he is currently a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kentucky. Joseph believes that all students can learn and grow given the time, encouragement, and resources to do so. He embraces an active lifestyle and enjoys time with his wife, Jessica, and children, Johnathan, Jeremiah, Lilah, and Leciah.