Debbie’s entire teaching career took place in Aurora, including her tenure as principal of Crawford Elementary School. But that wasn’t the first time Crawford appeared in the family story — Debbie’s husband went to Crawford — and her husband’s mother went to Crawford! All three of Debbie’s daughters graduated from Gateway High School, and now, two of her grandchildren are students at Aurora Quest K-8. Before retirement, Debbie’s husband taught in Aurora, and two of her daughters teach in Aurora now. That’s a lot of investment in Aurora Public Schools. No wonder she cares about it so deeply!
But education is not the only passion that Debbie has. Being bi-vocational, Debbie is also a clergywoman. For over twenty years, she has shared ministry with Fireside Christian Church, a Home Church for Metro Denver. Next year, she will celebrate forty years of ordained ministry.
And in her free time? Debbie loves to read, quilt, and travel. She writes a little now and then, and she’s learning how to play golf. Debbie participates in the Aurora Chapter of Rotary Club International and is currently pursuing membership. She looks for joy in ordinary things and posts a picture of it every day on Facebook.
Debbie has a strong sense of social justice, believes deeply in the democratic ideal of public education, and is convinced that we’re all in this together. She understands the strength of community and works for the inclusion of all. She believes in living purposefully, saying thank you, and giving a voice to the voiceless.
Debbie has been married to Phil for 42 years. Together they have three grown children, five grandchildren, and a yorkie-schnauzer mix named Cookie. For the past six months, she’s had the pleasure of being a host grandmother for her daughter’s Swiss exchange student who has brought added joy to their lives.
Biographic information retrieved from https://www.aurorasateam.com/debbie-gerkin on 9/20/2017 with the candidate’s permission.
Candidate’s website: https://www.aurorasateam.com/debbie-gerkin