McAuliffe Profile
Mission
At McAuliffe Elementary, our mission is to unite families, school staff, and
the community to assist students in their pursuit
of becoming life-long learners and leaders.We will hold students accountable to high expectations while meeting individual academic needs.
We will inspire students to discover and pursue their individual talents.
We will encourage students to set and achieve goals.
We will instill in students the value of giving back by providing opportunities to serve others.
Vision Statement
McAuliffe is a place where:
Leaders are
Empowered to
Achieve academic excellence
Dream without boundaries
Embrace their community
Reach their destiny
Motto
Be a Leader
History
Christa McAuliffe Elementary was built in 1988 and named in honor of the teacher – the first teacher in space - who died during the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster on Jan. 28, 1986.
Leader in Me School
McAuliffe Elementary has been named as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC). This recognition comes because the school has achieved outstanding student outcomes, by implementing The Leader in Me process with fidelity. It is also because of the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.
Student Pledge
I am a leader, empowered to:
Achieve academic excellence, dream without boundaries, embrace my community, and reach my destiny!
Welcome to McAuliffe Elementary School!
JoAnn McCaslin-Monk
McAuliffe Elementary Teacher of the Year
Principals
Principal
Jennifer McKnight
Jennifer McKnight was named principal of McAuliffe Elementary in 2017, after being named assistant principal for McAuliffe in the summer of 2016.
McKnight previously had served as principal of East Elementary at Jenks Public Schools since 2004. She has been in the education field since from 1995, serving as a teacher, enrichment director and curriculum resources instructor.
McKnight has a master’s degree in instruction leadership from Colorado State University and a bachelor’s degree in education from Oklahoma State University.
Assistant Principal
Ashley Hamilton
Ashley Hamilton was named assistant principal intern for McAuliffe Elementary in 2024. She came to McAuliffe from Grove Elementary, where she had been assistant principal since 2021.
Hamilton has been with Union Public Schools since 2013 when she was hired as a teacher for Briarglen Elementary. Since then, Hamilton has taught at Ellen Ochoa and later Darnaby Elementary Schools. In these roles, she has been active as a club sponsor in various capacities, after-school programs, book clubs and coordinator of activities from reading events to lead teacher.
A Union High School graduate, Hamilton received her bachelor’s degree in education from Oklahoma State University in 2012, and her master’s degree in school administration from Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow in 2019.
McAuliffe At A Glance
