Debbie Straughn, a native of Oklahoma City, has worked hard all her life in order to give to others as a teacher. Her teaching experience began after graduating from University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. She immediately found her passion in elementary education, teaching first kindergarten, then first, second, third, and fourth grades in both Putnam City and Oklahoma City school systems. Later, after achieving her Master’s degree, she began working as an assistant principal in Putnam City, then became Principal for Deer Creek Elementary School in 1995, the post she currently holds.

She has picked up several honors over the years, such as local Principal of the Year for Deer Creek, Putnam City, Bethany, Edmond, and Western Heights, and, in November 2003, Principal of the Year by the National Southwest Region. She has also been honored as the Oklahoma Public Service Administrator of the Year.

In November of 2005 she was presented with the “Take Pride in America Award” At the White House in recognition of Deer Creek Elementary School’s designation as the school “best exemplifying ingenuity and creativity in carrying out the goals of the Take Pride in America Program.” This program is a national partnership aimed at encouraging volunteers to serve on America’s public lands to preserve the natural beauty of our cultural and historical sites.

She is also committed to professional development in education through her involvement with the Great Expectations Program. This program is a course for both teachers and administrators, providing skills needed to create enthusiasm and mutual trust and excitement in the school environment, the basic elements for encouraging students to achieve academic excellence. Because of her work and the work of others that Deer Creek Elementary School has attained Model School status.

She has dedicated her life to the collaboration of the whole community of the school experience – children, parents, teachers, and administration. This makes her school as well as her life a nurturing atmosphere in which students can attain the skills they will need as they grow.