Hi! I’m Katy Webster, and I’m thrilled to be joining the Garden Valley community as the middle school ELA and social studies teacher this year! I grew up in Sacramento and moved to the Treasure Valley when I was 16. Thirteen years later, Idaho has truly become home. If you told younger Katelyn that she was going to move to a mountain town to teach middle schoolers, she probably would have freaked out. I earned my bachelor’s degree in History from Eastern Oregon University and have a deep love for museums, books, writing, art, and all things historical. My research interests are primarily women's history and Idaho history. My curiosity is especially drawn to stories that are often overlooked, local histories, everyday people, and the ways we preserve memory across generations.
Before coming to Garden Valley, I spent two years as an elementary school librarian in Nampa, where I taught students about authors, research, and novels, and revitalized a library that had been partially closed due to lack of use. Before that, I served as the curator at the Nampa Train Depot Museum. My professional background includes teaching, historical research, program development, and exceptional grant writing. When I’m not in the classroom or at a research library, you’ll usually find me lost in a book, baking, or making gourmet grilled cheese. I'm a lifelong fan of Alice in Wonderland, a Broadway enthusiast, and someone who believes that curiosity and creativity belong at the heart of every classroom.
I volunteer at the Idaho State Archives, digging into research projects that help preserve and share the state’s rich history. While I wasn’t born in Idaho, I’ve got the “Idaho history” credentials: my dad grew up in a tiny town near Lewiston, my grandpa was a teacher, and my grandmother worked with the Clearwater County Historical Society. On the other side of my family tree, my great-grandmother loved to write, and my papa dreamed of being an English teacher. I like to think that the path I’ve taken was carved out long before I knew it. I’m so excited to become part of this close-knit community and can’t wait to help Garden Valley students discover their own passions and potential.