Two local longtime teachers honored

In late July 2025, two remarkable Ozark County women were honored for their decades‑long dedication to Ozark County’s schools and the way they have shaped countless young lives.

Sheryl Lawson – 

Pioneer in Education

After an astounding 43 years teaching elementary students in the Gainesville School District, Sheryl Lawson was named a 2025 Pioneer in Education by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Alongside five other honorees, she was formally recognized at the 64th Annual Cooperative Conference for School Administrators on Monday, July 28. 

Lawson has been celebrated statewide for her unwavering commitment to enriching the lives of her students, taking learning far beyond textbooks and test scores with field trips, class parties, STEM challenges, assemblies, and culminating unit activities. Even after more than four decades in the classroom, she continues to inspire as an active teacher in Gainesville. See next week’s Times for a feature on Mrs. Lawson’s recognition at the event. 

Paula Bodenhamer

30 years of ag education

At Dora High School, agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor Paula Bodenhamer has spent 30 years guiding and mentoring rural youth through hands‑on agricultural learning, livestock projects and 4‑H leadership. This week, she was honored by the Missouri Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association (MVATA) for her milestone of three decades of service to agricultural education.

Bodenhamer’s impact is widely felt, even beyond Dora’s campus. In 2022, she received Missouri 4‑H’s highest volunteer honor, the Frank Graham Leadership Award. 

And earlier, she was selected as a semi‑finalist among nearly 400 nominees for the prestigious Missouri Golden Owl Award.

Her classroom and shop serve as an incubator for opportunity, where students build life skills with every project, and Paula’s guiding presence is as steady as it is caring.