Introducing The Class of 2018: Debb Proctor

Had anyone told Debb Proctor that she would grow up to be an English teacher, she would have said they were crazy. As a high school student in Lead, South Dakota, Debb envisioned going off to school to become a psychiatrist and studying the mysteries of the mind. Instead, she found herself signing up for education courses at Black Hills State College where she graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in secondary education in 1974, where she’d spend the next several decades helping to build young minds.  
Upon graduation, Debb returned to her hometown where she’d spend the next four years teaching at her former high school. At the advice of a mentor, she strayed from her roots to take a teaching job at a Crawford, Nebraska, high school, where she taught from 1979 to 1984, when she accepted the job in Newcastle.
Here she would go on to receive her master’s in curriculum and instruction and would spend the next 34 years, until retiring last May.
In her long prestigious career, Debb has racked up a long list of accomplishments and awards, including Who’s Who Among Americas’ Teachers (1989, 1994, 2000, 2009), District Excellence in Education (1993-1996) and Wyoming Lifelong Learning Association Outstanding Adult Educator in 2008, among many others.
She also helped put Newcastle High School’s yearbook on the map with several awards, including Yearbook State Champions in 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003.
Along with her beloved former students, she enjoyed a long life with her late husband Marvin, with whom she raised four children, including Jennifer Heinen Steveson, Shannon Proctor, her adopted daughter Michelle Patik Sweet, and late son Mark Proctor. 
In retirement, she’s looking forward to spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and attending as many Newcastle sports games and activities as possible.