Central Creek Middle School slated to open August 2026; principal and assistant named

Central Creek Middle School in Deer Creek is on track to open in August 2026, a district staff member said in a bond update video from the construction site. "We will be opening this school in August 2026," the staff member said, and shared new interior and exterior photos of the facility.

The district named Galeb Ozark as the school's principal. "We've already named the principal, Miss Galeb Ozark, who is currently serving as an assistant principal at Deer Creek High School," the staff member said. The video also named one of two assistant principals: Taylor Upchurch, currently the assistant principal at Deer Creek Middle School, "will be joining Miss Bozarth here at Central Creek," the speaker said. The district said it will hire an additional assistant principal later in 2026.

The site, which the speaker said sits adjacent to Deer Creek Intermediate School on Covell, has visible progress across classroom spaces, the cafeteria, gym and exterior work. "Every day they're making more and more improvements," the staff member said, adding that the various building elements are "coming together really quickly."

The update was presented as a bond project status video intended to show the community recent construction progress. No funding details, contract awards or formal board actions were announced in the video. The district did not provide a more specific opening day or the name (first name) of the assistant principal referred to as Bozarth in the recording; the speaker said only that one additional assistant principal will be hired later in 2026.

The school will be Deer Creek's second middle school once it opens; the district encouraged community members to drive by the Covell site to observe progress.