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- By Chickasaw Nation Media
A longtime educator was recently recognized with a top state honor when he was named Principal of the Year from the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP).
Chickasaw citizen Jason Hayes serves as principal of Santa Fe High School, in Edmond, Oklahoma. For the past 13 years, Hayes has striven to lead the high school with purpose and has cultivated an inclusive culture of mutual respect for students and staff.
He received the unexpected recognition last spring during a school assembly.
“I was really surprised to get the award, but very honored,” Hayes said.
He was formally recognized as Oklahoma’s High School Principal of the Year at the recent National Association of High School Secondary Principals Conference in Seattle, Washington.
Recently returning from the conference, an event that recognizes and celebrates outstanding middle and high school principals from across the country, Hayes said he was thrilled to represent his home state.
“I am really excited to represent not just my school district and my school, but also the state of Oklahoma as the 2025 Principal of the Year for high schools.”
Hayes is quick to point out the honor is not his exclusively, as he credits other administrators, teachers, support staff, the students and the local community for the school’s success. He compares the positive impact of the Chickasaw Nation with the school’s achievements.
“One thing that I love about the Chickasaw Nation is how diversified it is and how there are many different positive things going on everywhere,” he said. “I think that way about my school. We are almost 2,800 students, so it is not just me that runs the school. It is many other people. I try to put them in a position where they can be leaders, too. My assistant principals, my teachers, our school district and the Edmond community are just amazing at supporting education. We are trying to create systems that will allow our students to thrive, and I think that we have accomplished that.”
Hayes said he is proud that Santa Fe High School has earned an A on its state report card and has maintained a status of a top performing school. The Oklahoma School Report Card is a public dashboard that provides information about the performance of Oklahoma’s K-12 public schools. The report card uses various indicators to assess school performance, including academic achievement and growth, English language proficiency progress, and chronic absenteeism, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Edmond Santa Fe High School was a nationally ranked top 1% school before Hayes was named principal, earning the title of a National Blue Ribbon School during his first year. A National Blue Ribbon School is a prestigious award given to outstanding public schools in the United States by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools are selected for the award based on overall high academic achievement or success in closing achievement gaps among students, according to the organization’s website.
Hayes takes pride that his students and staff have maintained and built upon that success.
“That is exciting for Edmond schools and for the state of Oklahoma. There are so many amazing things happening in our public schools and (with) community partners like the Chickasaw Nation. In my own school district, we have great relationships with several large churches close to our school that do things to help our students. I think there are a lot of stories about the positives of public education in Oklahoma that are not getting told, and I hope to try to do that with my platform with this award,” he said.
Hayes said he is delighted with “Protect the PACK,” an initiative he helped launch at Santa Fe High School that reflects the school’s core values — Practice Respect, Accept Responsibility, Commit to Excellence and Keep It Classy — He said these are values students and staff live by every day with an acronym that incorporates well with the school’s mascot: the wolves.
“We are really proud of that at Santa Fe, because we have a really great school culture and an awesome school community.”
The school’s population is diverse, as well, with about 30 languages spoken at the school.
“We have students who represent many different backgrounds, and we try to practice respect for all students and give them an opportunity to find their place in our school,” Hayes said.
Chickasaw heritage
Hayes said his Chickasaw heritage can be traced to his great-grandmother, Josie Gray.
“My family has always had a strong tie to the Chickasaw Nation and when I got into high school, I became a Chickasaw citizen. I have always tried to be supportive and connected to my Chickasaw roots and instill that in my kids as well.”
He and his three children, Emma, 22; Cooper, 20; and Landry, 17, have all received Chickasaw Nation scholarships and other beneficial programs and services in pursuit of their educational goals.
Growing up in Moore, Oklahoma, Hayes attended the University of Oklahoma (OU) and University of Central Oklahoma, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He later earned a master’s degree from OU.
Before accepting the principal position at Edmond Santa Fe, Hayes served as assistant principal for the Edmond School District, as well as serving 11 years in the Moore School District as an English teacher, and basketball and cross-country coach.
He is elated with his children’s accomplishments. Emma is a 2025 graduate of Oklahoma State University (OSU) with a degree in mechanical/aerospace engineering, and she recently accepted a position with Northrop Grumman. While Emma was at OSU, she received academic scholarships from the university as well as the Chickasaw Nation.
“As long as she kept good grades and did well, the Chickasaws kept supporting her and helped her do amazing things at OSU, and she has now started her career,” Hayes said.
Cooper attends Randall University in Moore where he is studying to go into church ministry, and Landry will be a senior this fall at Southmoore High School. She is in the medical assistant program at Moore Norman Technology Center.
Living in the Oklahoma City metro area, Hayes said he is proud to be Chickasaw.
“I value the way the Chickasaw Nation makes a positive difference in Oklahoma, the way they have impacted the central and southern part of Oklahoma. It is really special that they are one of the top organizations to support our society.
“I am really proud to be a Chickasaw and represent them with this award also,” he said.
Hayes and his wife, Debbie, who is a former elementary teacher, live in the Moore-Norman area.
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