Staff Spotlight, September 2025: Kate Stafford
Name: Kate Stafford
School: Dorothy Dodds Elementary
Position: Art Teacher
Year on Staff: Second
When the doors to Dorothy Dodds Elementary opened to students on September 2, art teacher Kate Stafford began her second year as a teacher with Moorhead Area Public Schools—but her family’s history with the district stretches back nearly 100 years. Kate, a 2020 graduate of Moorhead High School, is a fourth-generation Spud educator, following in the footsteps of her mother, grandfather and great-grandmother.
Kate’s mother, Bonnie, is a history teacher at Moorhead High School; her grandfather, Wayne Ingersoll, taught at Moorhead Junior High School; her great-grandmother Ada Ingersoll, taught English at Moorhead High School. Her great-grandfather, John Ingersoll, was one of the first graduates from the MHS Townsite building with the class of 1926.
Despite a long lineage of Spud educators in her family, Kate wasn’t initially sure about going into teaching.
“I had always considered teaching, but I was also thinking about going into nursing,” explained Stafford. “It clicked when I was in art class in high school and Mr. [Grady] Carlson told me that he thought I should look at going into art education.”
Kate pursued a degree in art education at Minnesota State University Moorhead, graduating in 2024, before accepting an art teaching job at Dodds. While she admits being a teacher is challenging, she’s already pleased with choosing the “family business.”
“Teaching has been harder than I thought, but it’s also a very rewarding job,” she said. “I talk to some of my friends who have followed other careers and it lets me reflect on my choice and realize how I can make a difference in people’s lives. Building relationships with the kids is the best part of the job.”
She says her mother has been a valuable resource as someone she’s called weekly for advice and to share stories with. And while Kate is working to make her own way in the world of teaching, she treasures learning more about her family’s history of educating the Spuds of yesterday and today.
“Being a fourth-generation teacher in the same school district here in Moorhead is really interesting. I meet people all the time who remember taking history with my mom or having my grandpa as a teacher,” she added. “I even had a sub in high school who student-taught with my great-grandma, which is pretty cool!”
Staff Spotlight is a new feature that will appear monthly in the Spud Hub and on the district website and social media. Do you know a staff member with an interesting story that we should feature? Email spudnews@moorheadschools.org!