The Rural Scoop

The Arizona Rural Schools Association has responded to membership requests for support in their local advocacy efforts and has brought in Dianne Smith as a policy expert. Melissa and Sean Rickert, ARSA President Elect, talk to Dianne about her background, her thoughts about the last legislative session and what the upcoming one might look like, and gives some great tips for rural leaders that want to start or continue to refine their advocacy effort in their local community. Sean and Melissa also discussed the addition of a Pre-Conference at the ARSA conference and a Winter Advocacy Workshop that will take place in January. Be sure to listen if you are an ARSA member, but everyone can benefit from the conversation! Come get the Scoop on advocacy work in the Great State 48!

Trainual helps school administrators by providing a digital platform for employee manuals and process documentation. Get 10% in your first year by using offer code RURALSCOOP at checkout. Go to https://trainual.com go get started!

Our theme song is Quittin Time Rag by Lon Eldridge. Find his music at https://www.loneldridge.com/

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join host Melissa Sadorf and her co-host Ty White as they talk to Amber Nichols of rural West Virginia! Amber is a kindergarten teacher at Eastwood Elementary School in Morgantown, West Virginia. With a Master of Arts in education from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Science in communications from Shepherd College, she began teaching in 2001. Her teaching experience includes both kindergarten and special education.

She prides herself on creating an enriching classroom environment in which all students feel safe, loved and appreciated. Her teaching mantra is, “We are here for the kids and we have each other.” Social and emotional development and academic achievement are the rigorous goals she sets for each child in her class. Nichols is an active member of her school’s leadership and curriculum teams, as well as a behavior intervention team member, mentor teacher and cooperating teacher for interns at West Virginia University and high school students at Monongalia County Technical Education Center.

Outside of school, Nichols enjoys writing and spending time with her husband, three children and two dogs. She advocates purposefully for students with disabilities, especially those with medical differences. It is her distinct belief that, with the appropriate support, all students can. She's got a great story to tell as West Virginia's Teacher of the Year. Be sure to listen to get the Scoop!

Trainual helps school administrators by providing a digital platform for employee manuals and process documentation. Get 10% in your first year by using offer code RURALSCOOP at checkout. Go to https://trainual.com go get started!

Our theme song is Quittin Time Rag by Lon Eldridge. Find his music at https://www.loneldridge.com/

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Melissa and Ty as they talk about rural education in Idaho with Dr. Karen Lauritzen! She was recently named the 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year.

Her career spans 21 years in grades K -4, and the last 12 have been spent in Post Falls, a rural school community. Karen completed her doctorate this past year and her dissertation focus was on educator advocacy for the education profession. What a great topic to bring to rural education! Previously she had earned an undergrad degree in education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a Special Education Masters at Ball State University. As you will hear in the episode, Karen is engaged with advocating for the resources that rural students and educators deserve, retaining the best educators and maintaining high standards for educators to ensure the quality of instruction for all students, delivering engaging education that meets the needs of all learners, and ensuring that all students and educators have opportunities to thrive and learn, no matter their ZIP code. Growing up in rural Montana and the Alaska bush helped her understand the unique needs of rural students. She has taught in metropolitan and rural settings, so I understand the unique challenges and assets of each setting, and prefers the Rural Advantage! Next year, Karen is transitioning to a new opportunity in rural Illinois where she will be working with pre-service educators. Having the chance to share what she knows to develop early career teachers who will develop the capacity to teach in any setting where they can meet the needs of all students is something she is looking forward to tackling. Don't miss out on learning about this high-energy rural educator who brings passion and commitment to her rural community! Come get the Scoop!

Trainual is the leading provider of digital employee manuals and process documentation, and is great for managing schools. Get 10% your first year by using offer code RURALSCOOP at checkout. Go to https://trainual.com go get started!

Our theme song is Quittin Time Rag by Lon Eldridge. Find his music at https://www.loneldridge.com/

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join the Rural Scoop to talk about teaching in remote rural Cooke City with Montana Teacher of the Year Lara Belice! Melissa and Ty explore Lara’s success as the sole licensed educator at Cooke City School—an isolated, K-8 rural one-room school. Lara has taught at Cooke City for the past five years. This year's student enrollment initially spanned 7-grade levels—Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Prior to becoming a teacher, Lara created an award-winning landscape design and landscape construction business in San Diego, California. In 2005, she moved to the Big Hole Valley of Montana, fulfilling her childhood aspiration to reside in the mountains. In 2014, her love of adventure travel took her to a remote location of rural China, on the Tibetan Plateau, where she taught English at a school for Tibetan children. This unique experience inspired Lara to enroll in the elementary education program at the University of Montana Western, at Dillon.

Since becoming the lead teacher at Cooke City School, Lara has implemented numerous place-based educational connections to the Greater Yellowstone Area - such as multi-night backpacking outings and nature hikes, ski touring, wildlife viewing with local field experts, as well as visits to historical sites and world-class museums - to engage her diverse group of students in learning that is personally relevant to their lives. Another large accomplishment came to fruition during the summer of 2021. Lara achieved a closed-loop food system at the school, building a 26-foot diameter geodesic dome greenhouse to permit year-round gardening at an elevation of 7,600 feet, in a location where snow covers the landscape for seven months of the year. With the intent to nourish a future greenhouse, in August of 2019, she installed a composting system to withstand the extreme cold and wildlife that are an everyday occurrence at Cooke City. The students and community contribute compostable waste, which in turn is used to produce vegetables for the school and community, at a location where the nearest grocery store is a one-way drive of one and a half hours. Lara applies all of her life experiences, knowledge, and philosophy of teaching and learning to create and deliver effective and engaging, powerful learning experiences, for the direct benefit of the Cooke City students and community. Lara was selected as the 2022 Rural Montana Teacher of the Year and was the 2022 NREA Rural Teacher of the Year National runner-up. Additionally, she was the recipient of the 2022 National Signature Project Award for her place-based education project “U.S. History through a Bison Lens.” Don't miss the chance to hear about teaching on the Western Frontier! Come get the Scoop!

Get 10% your first month of Trainual by using offer code RURALSCOOP at checkout. Go to https://trainual.com go get started!

Our theme song is Quittin Time Rag by Lon Eldridge. Find his music at https://www.loneldridge.com/

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Melissa and her co-host Ty for a special guest on the Scoop! Julia Cunningham is the Director of Rural Engagement in the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, she is responsible for proactive, thoughtful engagement with rural schools and communities across the country as well as building out a strategy for the Department’s rural initiatives and programming. Prior to this role, Julia was the Deputy Director for State Engagement for The Hunt Institute, where she primarily focused on overseeing relationship building, strategy, and program development. Julia began her career as a fifth-eighth grade writing teacher at American Horse School in the Oglala Lakota Nation in southwestern South Dakota. After teaching, she earned her master's in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2018, where she co-founded the Harvard Ed School Rural Educators Alliance. Julia earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Fordham University in 2013. In January 2023, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the initiative “Raise the Bar: Lead the World,” a call to action to transform P-12 education and unite around what truly works to advance educational equity and excellence. Raising the bar means recognizing that our nation already has what it takes to continue leading the world—if we deliver a comprehensive, rigorous education for every student; boldly improve conditions for learning’ and ensure every student has a pathway to multilingualism and to college and careers. But what does this mean for rural students, schools, and communities? As we know, these “small but mighty” communities are already using every possible tool in their kit to support their students. In this episode, Julia will outline Raise the Bar, share resources that are available to districts via the initiative, and discuss how the Department will support rural leaders as we all work collectively to raise the bar.Come and get the Scoop on what Julia is working on to support rural schools, educators and students across the country! This is an episode you don't want to miss!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Dr. Sadorf as she discusses an issue on rural leaders' minds - housing for school staff in rural communities. She is joined by Superintendent John School of Chino Valley USD in Arizona. Superintendent Scholl outlines the process his district has gone through in the last couple of years to plan for and build ten "tiny homes" for teachers on one of the school campuses. From planning to the RFP process to legal concerns, listen to how one rural district in Arizona is meeting the need in their community. Also a plus? It's a recruitment and retention tool for the Chino Valley school district! Thinking about teacher housing? You'll want to take a listen and get the Scoop!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-Host, Ty White, as they talk to Royd Lee, a Navajo language rural teacher from Tuba City City, Arizona located on the Navajo Nation.  Royd is a 2021-22 Ambassador of Excellence for the Arizona Educational Foundation. He is very active with advocacy work for Impact Aid funding for Tribal and rural schools throughout the state. Get to know about this outstanding educator who is doing some amazing things for the students in his tribal rural community. You can find Royd on his social media at @rrlee2008 - be sure to follow him to keep up with what he is doing!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-Host, Ty White, as they talk to Christina Musselman, a First Grade rural teacher from Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  Christina was the Mohave County Rural Teacher of the Year Finalist in is the 2021-22 for ARSA. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and coach, an adjunct professor for ASU, and serves as a Borderlands Rural Teacher Caucus member, advocating for rural schools and issues across the state of Arizona! Get to know about this outstanding educator who is doing some amazing things for the students in her rural community. You can find Christina on her social media at @cmusselman777 - be sure to follow her to keep up with what she is doing!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

Join Dr. Sadorf and her Co-host, Ty White as they have a chance to talk to Elizabeth Colton. Liz is the 2022-23 ARSA Teacher of the Year and teaches Science at Crane Middle School in Yuma, Arizona. She is a STEM teacher, FIRST Coach, Global Innovation Ambassador and a Patent Holder of Aqua Box! Get to know about this outstanding educator who is doing some amazing things for the students in her rural community. You can find Liz on her social media at @ColtonScience - be sure to follow her to keep up with what she is doing!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081

The Scoop is excited to kick off the new season with award winning teacher, Ty White! Ty is the 2021-22 ARSA Teacher of the Year, and this past year was recognized for two major awards. He is the 2022-23 National Rural Education Association's Teacher of the Year, and is also the Arizona Teacher of the Year for the Arizona Educational Foundation. Ty is a chemistry teacher at Willcox High School in Cochise County, Arizona. Get to know about this outstanding educator who will be a co-host for a special series we are doing that highlights our teachers across Arizona who are doing some amazing things for the students in their rural communities. You can find Ty on his social media at @ropercowboyinaz - be sure to follow him to keep up with what he is doing!

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞:

© 2026 Melissa Sadorf / The Rural Scoop. All rights reserved.

The content of The Rural Scoop, including podcast episodes, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and other original materials, is protected by copyright. No portion of this content may be reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the copyright owner. Brief quotations or other uses may be permitted under applicable fair-use principles.

For permission requests, please contact:

Dr. Melissa Sadorf

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (520) 266-0081