Catherine Debs
Walter Hays Elementary School
“We all share responsibility for our children.”
Life-size cutouts of U.S. presidents — including William Henry Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, William Howard Taft, John Tyler and Rutherford B. Hayes — stand at Walter Hays Elementary for a special exhibit on the presidents.
Photo courtesy of Veronica Weber
Catherine Debs of Palo Alto is a powerhouse with a background in art, politics and community service. Catherine and her husband John have had a Scholarship Program at Stanford University supporting minority athletes for many years. She and John are part of Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Program and Catherine claims they have taken joy in learning from the professors as well as the students.
Her current mission is to work for enriching education through the visual arts in the Palo Alto area. Debs’ most recently established several unique art installations at Walter Hays Elementary School. These included life-size models of all 45 U.S. presidents in which each president is decorated with a card of biographical fun-facts, a famous quote and a flag; a replica of John Quincy Adams’ pet alligator (yes he had one) in a hand-painted antique bathtub; an interactive display of presidential history and a podium where students can “practice” being president.
The former assistant chief of protocol for San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Debs said she wanted to use her artistic abilities to inspire students to take initiative and implement changes they want to see in society. She said she wanted students to know any one of them can become president. “We all share responsibility for our children,” she said.
If you are interested in helping the Walter Hays Elementary School in Palo Alto, please visit the website.
Who’s next?
We are looking for wonderful people who use “Head, Hands and Heart” including Volunteer Hours, Creative Accomplishments and/or Financial Contributions. Please submit the form below and be sure to include your phone number so we can follow up with a call! Thank you! And thank you for either nominating yourself or others. Together we can make great contributions to education!
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