Morris named KAEA's Overall Outstanding Art Educator

For the past 16 years, Holton native Katie Morris has been involved with teaching the finer points of art to young people, including students in the Holton and Jackson Heights school districts.

Morris, who currently teaches art to students at her alma mater, Holton High School, has been named by the Kansas Art Education Association (KAEA) as its 2025-26 Overall Outstanding Art Educator for her commitment to art education and will be honored by the association at its upcoming fall conference, set for Friday, Oct. 10 in Hiawatha.

“Katie stands out as the best art teacher I have ever seen,” said HHS counselor Traci Frazier in a letter of support for Morris’ KAEA honor. “Her dedication, creativity and passion for teaching make her exceptionally deserving of this honor.”

It’s the third honor from KAEA for Morris, who has served as the association’s communications and social media chair since 2011, it was reported. Morris was named the association’s Outstanding Elementary Art Educator in 2014 and the KAEA Outstanding K-12 Art Educator in 2021.

After graduating from HHS in 2005, Morris earned her bachelor of science degree in art education from Emporia State University in 2009, the year she began her career as an art teacher with elementary students in the Auburn-Washburn school district in Topeka.

In 2015, she joined the Jackson Heights district as a K-12 art teacher. The following year, she earned her master of arts in education degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She transferred to HHS in 2023 as high school arts teacher.

Morris’ leadership roles in the Holton district include serving on building and district leadership teams, mentoring new teachers and serving as a Holton National Education Association officer and negotiator. She also has served as the Jackson County Arts Council’s president, vice president and secretary, and she co-founded the Jackson County Art Walk.

Visitors to the Holton area are familiar with Morris’ mural work, which includes the “Holton” mural at the northwest corner of the Town Square, the sunflower mural at Holton’s municipal swimming pool and a music-related mural at the Prairie Lake grounds, created in honor of the annual Prairie Lake Pickin’ Party.

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