Little Rock, Arkansas – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has announced the latest recipient of the Faces of Arkansas series, highlighting an Arkansas educator whose creativity, dedication, and connection to her community have left a lasting impression on students and families.
The August installment of the monthly series features Carlee Qualls, a fifth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Cave City Elementary. Through her work in the classroom and her involvement throughout the community, Qualls represents the type of Arkansan the program was created to recognize — people who quietly make a difference every day.
Faces of Arkansas was launched as a way to keep public service focused on the people and communities that shape the state. Each month, one Arkansan is selected and featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video. Their framed photograph is displayed at the entrance of the Governor’s Office as a reminder of the individuals and communities served by state leaders.
The program highlights people who help their communities function, whether through service, personal achievement, professional dedication, or their ability to overcome challenges. For August, the spotlight turns to Cave City and a teacher who believes education is about much more than lessons written in a textbook.
On a fall afternoon in Cave City, fifth-grade students step into colonial America. Instead of simply reading about history, they experience it.
The unusual classroom project began after one student shared a story about a ghost tour during a trip to Washington, D.C. The idea sparked something in Qualls. She began looking at her hometown in a different way, imagining how local places could become part of an unforgettable learning experience.
Soon, the community itself became a classroom.
Drifters Coffee was transformed into a Boston tavern where founding fathers gathered to discuss independence. The cave that gave Cave City its name became part of the story. The Headless Horseman appeared during lunch in the park, while Molly Pitcher loaded cannons outside the Pinkston House. Local business owners, parents, and volunteers joined students by stepping into historical roles.
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For Cave City, supporting students is simply part of being a community. For Qualls, it was an opportunity to show students that learning can be exciting, unexpected, and memorable.
“I feel like, yes, kids are going to remember their teachers,” she said. “But I feel like the memories when you create those experiences for them that are out of the ordinary and kind of absurd–those memories are going to last longer than what I taught them in my classroom on the day-to-day basis.”
Located among the rolling hills of north Arkansas, Cave City is widely recognized for its famous watermelons. Every summer, visitors from across the country and beyond attend the Cave City Watermelon Festival, celebrating the crop that helped put the town on the map.
However, residents often say the community’s greatest strength is not what it grows, but the people who live there. It is the neighbors who answer when someone calls for help and the volunteers who step forward when a need appears.
“Whenever we need something,” Qualls said, “all we have to do is make a few phone calls.”
That community spirit has been visible in many ways. When Qualls’ sister-in-law began raising money to build an inclusive playground after her son was born with spina bifida, Qualls joined others in volunteering at the Watermelon Festival to help raise funds. The effort eventually helped create a playground where children of all abilities can play together.
Cave City has also shown its resilience during difficult moments. After severe tornadoes moved through north Arkansas in March 2025, Governor Sanders visited the community to assess the damage. Recovery efforts later included disaster assistance and funding to help families rebuild.
Additional investments through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission have continued supporting infrastructure and public spaces in communities like Cave City, reflecting the belief that small towns are strengthened by investing in the people who call them home.
For Qualls, choosing Cave City was a personal decision as much as a professional one. Earlier in her teaching career, she worked in a larger school district. While she appreciated the opportunities, she felt something was missing. She wanted her son to grow up surrounded by the same type of close community experience she had known.
Her husband, a Cave City native, understood that connection. Eventually, the family returned to the town where community relationships remain central to daily life.
Today, Qualls serves in several roles. Along with teaching fifth-grade English Language Arts, she is the preschool director, coordinates English as a second language services for the district, and coaches peewee basketball. She describes herself as one of many educators across Arkansas who take on different responsibilities because their communities need them.
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“I’m excited to represent teachers in Arkansas,” she said, “especially in small school districts that wear many different hats. I’m just one of many.”
Although teaching now feels natural, Qualls remembers that her early years were filled with challenges and uncertainty. Like many new educators, she often questioned herself and spent long evenings reviewing lessons and thinking about ways to improve.
“My first few years,” she says laughing, “I think with all teachers, you think, ‘What did I just get myself into?’”
Support from experienced teachers helped her grow. Through mentorship and collaboration, she learned how to better connect with students and make lessons more engaging.
“With the help of mentorship from other teachers in my school district, and really just diving in deeper and learning how to teach kids and how to make learning fun, I really started thinking, ‘Yeah, I made the right decision. This is where I’m supposed to be.’”
Sixteen years into her career, Qualls continues to reflect on her teaching. She studies student progress, reviews data, and looks for ways to improve. The difference now is that she also focuses more on understanding student interests and using those interests to create stronger connections in the classroom.
“Even sixteen years later of teaching, I don’t know everything,” she said. “I’ll talk to my teammates and we’ll figure things out. Teaching really has to be a team.”
Qualls has also seen changes in Arkansas education through the implementation of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which has expanded access to student performance information and provided teachers with more tools to identify strengths and address learning challenges.
The state has also invested in literacy coaches and teacher development as part of broader education efforts. Recent results have shown improvements in student performance, including increased proficiency rates across grade levels and subjects on the ATLAS exam.
Inside her classroom, Qualls sees the importance of using information to help students succeed.
“There’s been a bigger push on really diving deep into data and seeing exactly where our kids are,” she said. “Then looking at that and asking, ‘What can we do? How can we make this better?’ We owe that to our kids to constantly be trying to help them do better and succeed.”
Still, Qualls believes education is about more than numbers. For her, the most important moments often come when students discover confidence.
Whether teaching literature, grammar, or geography, she wants students to leave the classroom with curiosity and a desire to continue learning. Reading, in particular, remains one of her greatest passions.
“I know it’s kind of cliché to say, but reading can really take you places,” she said.
Each year, she encourages students to read widely. Eventually, students begin returning to her classroom excitedly sharing new discoveries from books. Those moments, she says, show that learning is working.
Books can provide knowledge, but they can also provide confidence. Qualls remembers students who were once quiet finding their voices through writing and sharing ideas they never felt comfortable expressing before.
“If they can find their voice, they’ll be able to succeed in so many different areas,” Qualls said.
For Qualls, success is measured in those moments — a student gaining confidence, a colleague receiving support, or an entire community coming together to transform a simple lesson into something unforgettable.
Through the August Faces of Arkansas recognition, Governor Sanders is highlighting not only one teacher, but the many educators and community members across the state who help young Arkansans discover their potential every day.
