“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.” — Stephen Covey, educator and author

Leadership in any organization is paramount to the success of everyone in that organization.

For three elementary schools in Stillwater, their leadership comes from homegrown talent — and Oklahoma State University alumnae — who have firsthand knowledge of Stillwater.

Ashley Dobbs — interim principal at Westwood Elementary, Cami Patzkowski — principal at Sangre Ridge Elementary and Joy Cawood — principal at Richmond Elementary — all spent time as students in Stillwater Public Schools, graduated with degrees from OSU and eventually found their way back to Stillwater to lead the next generation of potential leaders.

The three recently shared their stories with their alma mater — discussing growing up in Stillwater, how they embody the Cowboy Code, and how their respective schools ranked among the best elementary schools in the state.

Below is a small snippet of the stories they shared. Check out the full video for more.

Q: Could you tell us about your Stillwater background?

Ashley Dobbs: We moved to Stillwater when I was in middle school for my mom, who was getting her doctoral degree through the College of Education at OSU at the time. I graduated from Stillwater High School in 2003 and then went to OSU.

Cami Patzkowski: My family moved to Stillwater in 1979. My dad was the women's tennis coach at Oklahoma State University, so I grew up here in Stillwater. I went to kindergarten and first grade at Skyline Elementary. Then I moved over to Will Rogers Elementary and finished elementary school as a Mustang. I graduated from Stillwater High and then went to Oklahoma State University, where I majored in early childhood education.

Joy Cawood: I was born in Stillwater, and when Richmond Elementary opened in 1990, I was a first grader here. I went all the way through elementary school in this very building, then Stillwater Middle School, the junior high and the high school. Stillwater Public Schools raised me, and I've been here the whole time. I went away for a couple of years of college, but eventually came back and graduated from OSU.

Q: What made you want to get into education?

CP: To be honest, I come from a long line of educators, so I grew up seeing the impact of the profession firsthand. At first, I naturally thought, This is just the way, because it was the language we spoke at home. But as I began my own journey, that family tradition turned into a personal mission. I realized I didn’t just inherit a career path but I inherited a deep respect for the lightbulb moment in a student’s eyes, and I wanted to claim that for myself.

AD: I've just always grown up around educators. That's been a part of my family and who we are and our legacy. I love working with kids, and I love getting to be around kids and see them do new things and get inspired by things. That's what drew me into education when I was older, but I grew up around education.

JC: Well, my journey was a little different. I loved learning. My initial degree in college was actually in history with a focus on East Asian history of all things. During that time, I also started substitute teaching, and I realized that I really had a passion for teaching kids and being with kids. After I completed my history degree, I went back and got a degree in secondary education. I just wanted to be in the classroom and get to share knowledge with students.

Q: What does it feel like to have your school recognized as one of the best elementary schools in the state, according to the Oklahoma School Report Card?

JC: You know, it's incredible. It is a testament to my teachers. They're just incredibly invested in working hard. The ranking is primarily based on test scores, which matter, and I'm thrilled that our students are performing well. However, the metric for success in our building is larger than just test scores. I think that's throughout our district. We have incredible schools throughout our district, and I think we're all committed to creating pioneers that are ready to take on the world — academically, they're successful, but they're going to be successful people.

CP: We are thrilled, but we aren't finished. I believe what sets us apart is our refusal to get complacent.  We are constantly asking how we can get better for our students. Our ranking is simply a reflection of our culture.  A culture where we know every student by name and need. Because we know our students better than anyone else, we know exactly how to bridge the gap between where they are and where they can be. We’ll take a moment to celebrate, but our focus remains on the growth ahead.

AD: Getting that high of a ranking is just a huge honor, and it's really a nod to our teachers. I get the honor of leading them, but it's really the incredible work that they do — day in, day out — that gets those scores and produces that level of learning.