Cheryl Thatcher was named Heartland Middle School’s 2025 Support Employee of the Year. She works as the principal’s secretary at Heartland and this is her fourth year at Heartland. She worked two years as an attendance secretary and is currently in her second year as principal’s secretary. Mrs. Thatcher is married to her high school sweetheart, who she met when she was fifteen, and they have three children: a son in college at UCO and a son and daughter who are in high school.

Mrs. Thatcher was born in Scotland and lived there for 5 years before moving all around the world as part of a military family. As a child she also lived in Washington State, Wisconsin, Key West, Florida, and she graduated from high school in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Her husband is retired military, and they also lived four years in Sicily and three years in Germany.

One of the main reasons Mrs. Thatcher chose to work as a school secretary with Edmond Public Schools is that the work hours and schedule are very family-friendly. She doesn’t have to miss a game, and administrators are very understanding when she needs to take time off for family.

Reflecting back on her early days at Heartland, Mrs. Thatcher recalls that her interview was held on “pajama day” and her first day at work happened to be picture day, and there was also a mobile cow exhibit outside, where exhibit staff showed students how to milk a cow! She learned quickly that working in a school she’d be exposed to a variety of fun and unusual activities and situations.

Mrs. Thatcher loves that as principal’s secretary, she gets to interact with everyone in the building, getting to know and connect with everyone - from students to teachers to visitors. Mrs. Thatcher has a special heart for interacting with substitute teachers - she likes to sell them on Heartland and make sure they feel welcomed. Because of that, most choose to come back to Heartland. A particular joy was having a former substitute teacher decide to come work at Heartland full time.

Assistant Principal Paul McQueen says that “Cheryl is the face of Heartland. She is one of the first people that visitors see when they enter the school. She welcomes each person and makes sure they feel noticed.”

Teachers and staff had the following to say about Mrs. Thatcher:

"Cheryl is the backbone of Heartland! Without her this place would not and could not function; she does so much of the background work. Her importance cannot be overstated!"

"Cheryl brings hope and a sense of belonging to everyone walking through her door. She is a woman of integrity because she is someone who is honest and always does the right thing. She will collaborate with parents and teachers/staff to help resolve issues that occur daily."

"Cheryl brings joy to the front office. She is the glue that keeps this school together. She is always smiling, kind and willing to help anyone in a moment of need!"

"Cheryl always has the answer! To any question that I bring her way, she either knows the answer or finds it out for me right away. I can always count on her! She always shows up with a huge smile and you can hear her laugh from a mile away! She tackles any problem we have and it's never too big of a challenge for her!"

We are so glad to have Mrs. Thatcher as part of the Heartland family!

Fun Facts about Mrs. Thatcher

• She has Scottish citizenship (but no Scottish accent!) and became a US citizen in 2020

• Her favorite subject in school was Literacy or Reading

• The only hobby she has time for is watching her kids play sports

• Her favorite place to travel is Paris

*District Finalist