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Steven Daubenspeck

Principal
steven.daubenspeck@ousd.org

I am very honored to be the principal of Thornhill Elementary School, a National Blue Ribbon School of 2016. I have been in education for over twenty years, as a teacher, Founding Principal of a School, Principal on Special Assignment as a Director of Community Schools, and now principal of Thornhill Elementary. My commitment to children is through a lens of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

As a teacher, I strive to know my students and families well. I believe relational trust is key to supporting students and families in supporting academics and being a positive learning community. Similarly, by teaching students through a lens of cultural competence with a focus on equity, I strive to have students learn and be encouraged to their highest potential. All children have strengths in academics and the arts, and it is my job as an educator to help students realize their potential and to reach even higher.

As founding principal of Futures Elementary School, I worked with a team of committed educators to improve the educational outcomes of a school that had struggled to bring coherence and results. Futures Elementary was founded with a commitment to Equity, Relational Trust, and Identity development to be a campus where students could learn via Inquiry and Discovery. In its second year, Futures was the most improved school in OUSD and had the second highest gains in the state of California.

As a Director of Community Schools, my role was to get resources to students that needed extra support to succeed. This included after school, summer school, mental health, health center, and mentorship programs.

Currently, as principal of Thornhill Elementary School, I continue to work from an equity lens to get our students and teachers the tools needed for success. I am proud of our dedicated staff that goes above and beyond to support our students. All of our teachers are encouraged to lead and take on responsibilities as we strive to build capacity.   
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Being principal brings me great joy and purpose. I have been honored to be a principal awarded for Educational Leadership 2017, Equity 2017, National Blue Ribbon 2016, and Highest Gains in OUSD 2007. I have worked in partnership with the National Equity Project and more recently was a National Equity Project Fellow. Additionally, I am a Mentor Principal to two OUSD schools.

Other Things About Me:​
I grew up in the Caribbean in Puerto Rico and St. Croix (US Virgin Islands). Spanish was my primary language in Puerto Rico. When I was seven, we moved to the Virgin Islands where I learned English. Lastly, since music is so important to Thornhill, you ought to know that I am a musician and am interested in the bass guitar, song writing, and recording.