West Plains, MO. – At the West Plains District Awards Banquet held last night at the Historic Post Office, Kelly Dame was named the 2022 West Plains School District Educator of the Year. Mrs. Dame has taught choir and music for 52 years, 50 of them at West Plains High School.
Kelly Dame is an exceptionally skilled and passionate educator. Mrs. Dame’s ability to share the love of music with her students and community is incredible. Her students say that choir is a huge part of their lives and that it is because of Mrs. Dame that they love music.
Mrs. Dame’s teaching responsibilities include 5th -12th-grade choir, Chamber Choir, The Plainsmen, Madrigal Singers, and Swingset. Her choirs have won numerous awards, performed for district, state, and national conventions, and have toured internationally, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Hungary, Romania, to name a few. The Plains Singers have been featured in two PBS documentaries, “Behind the Iron Curtain” and “A Song for China.”
Kelly is a Music Festival Manager for the Missouri State High School Activities Association and has served as an adjudicator and district director for many years. She has received numerous awards, including the Outstanding District Director Award, West Plains Citizen of the Year, West Plains Professional Woman of the Year, MSHSAA Music Educator of the Year, and MMEA Music Educator of the Year among many others.
