One student. One question. Not a lot of answers in the beginning. But a willingness to try—and to believe—led to something much bigger than anyone could have imagined at the time.
Grayson County Schools’ K–12 and Early Childhood Apprenticeship programs were celebrated by district and state leaders during National Apprenticeship Week, recognizing not only the students involved but the community that made it possible.
Today, Grayson County is a state and national leader, providing opportunities for students to begin a career in education while still in high school—and earn as they learn. The innovative program, built along the way, has grown into a model drawing attention across Kentucky and beyond.
It started in 2018, when then Grayson County High School junior Ashley Dotson came to Technology Center Director Matt Hayes and Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Cody Mooneyhan with a simple—but not simple—question.
“I was like, ‘I want to be a teacher. What can we do? What kind of track do we have? How can we get this started?’” said Dotson, now completing her first full year as a special education teacher at Lawler Elementary.
At the time, there wasn’t a clear answer. But, Dotson continued, “Mr. Hayes and Ms. Mooneyhan were determined that we were going to find something.”
“We knew it would look something like student teaching. Beyond that, we were building it as we went,” Hayes said.
That willingness to start anyway—without a roadmap—became the foundation of a program that has now seen two apprentices graduate and return to the district to teach—Dotson and Leanne Shartzer, who is finishing her second year at GCHS. Another dozen are in the pipeline, six at the postsecondary level, with six more nearing completion of the high school portion of their journey.
This year, the district also added an early childhood pathway, responding to both student interest and workforce need.
That growth hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Grayson County has literally led the charge in educator apprenticeships in Kentucky and in the nation,” said Mary Taylor of the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education. “What started with one conversation has created something other districts are now trying to replicate.”
She calls apprenticeship the missing link between high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.
“We had the TRACK (Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky) model in more traditional occupations—but not in education. Mr. Hayes and Ms. Mooneyhan were all in,” she said, also pointing to strong district support as a key factor in the program’s success.
With a proud nod to Hayes’ and Mooneyhan’s vision and leadership, Superintendent Doug Robinson said, “I learned a long time ago, when you’ve got great people wanting to do something different, get out of the way and let them do it. And we did.”
From the beginning, that kind of support—and trust—has been critical.
For students, the impact is immediate. Apprentices gain real classroom experience, attend professional development, and see firsthand what the job actually requires long before they enter the profession full-time. For some, the experience has even helped them complete college and move more quickly into the workforce. It also builds something less tangible, but just as important: confidence.
Today, Grayson County Schools remains the only district in Kentucky where students have completed a teacher apprenticeship and returned to teach in the same district. It’s a local example of a broader shift, Taylor noted, as schools and other employers take a more active role in developing their own workforce.
Hayes agrees.
“When you think about innovation, nothing is more innovative than growing your own. And sometimes it’s hard to push past limits and see innovation, but when people work together collectively, amazing things can happen.”
“When we started this in 2018, it was just one student who wanted to have an experience to see what it was like to be a teacher,” he said.
Now, the program is a model for districts across the state and even the nation.
“If I was going to hang my hat on anything we do,” added Hayes, “it’s providing opportunities for our students. That’s why we’re here.”
Photo: K12 and Early Childhood Education Apprentices shown with Technology Center Director Matt Hays and Family and Consumer Science teacher Cody Mooneyhan, also the program head and mentor.
Back l - r: high school apprentices Ella Decker, Abigail Sturdevant, Samantha Reid, Abby Collier, Chloe Shartzer, and Haylee Gaither.
Front: GCS teachers and former apprentices Leanne Shartzer, Ashley Dotson, and postsecondary apprentices Allie Dotson, Addyson Ports, and Donovan Heady. Postsecondary apprentices not shown: Amie Darst, Laslen Hatfield, and Michenna Meredith.