Palatine High School grad now looks to 'Survive'
Bobbing up and down somewhere in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, Debbie Beebe describes her clownish tendencies to a CBS cameraman.
"I may be the one in the middle of the dance floor and do a back-handspring," the 46-year-old Beebe says. "I've been known to do that."
It's how many remember the now-married mother of five from 30 years ago, when she was a standout gymnast at Palatine High School.
"Survivor" fans might catch the 5-foot-2 Beebe, whose maiden name is Staton, do a back flip or two as a castaway on the latest installment of the reality show.
Beebe survived the 18th season's premier last week as a member of the winning Timbira Tribe. The second episode airs at 7 p.m. tonight on CBS.
Beebe is in her 10th year as principal of J.F. Drake Middle School in Auburn, Ala., where she was named the state's 2007 Middle School Principal of the Year. The Alabama State Board of Education credited her with developing a program that improved struggling students' grades.
She's back home in Alabama now but can't talk about the show until the finale has aired.
Retired Palatine High gymnastics head coach Sandy Oldham now works as an NCAA official and visits Beebe whenever she referees at Auburn University. On one trip, Oldham walked the halls with Beebe and saw the popular principal in action. She said Beebe uses her lunch hour to go into the cafeteria and work with kids who are behind in reading.
"Debbie's made it an exciting place to learn, but she's also firm in terms of rules," Oldham said.
Beebe played a key role as a sophomore on Palatine's 1979 squad, which finished second in state. She competed in all events and excelled on the bars, Oldham said.
But more than the scores and routines, Oldham remembers Beebe's positivity and energy - along with giggling fits and mischief with athletic tape.
"She was always good for a laugh. We're all beaming with pride," Oldham said, referring to the network of gymnastics alumni e-mailing over Beebe's newfound celebrity.
Beebe is sure to keep up with her younger "Survivor" competitors.
According to her biography on cbs.com, Beebe rises at 4:30 a.m. every morning to work out. She's also learned to deal with the politics that come with overseeing more than 900 sixth- and seventh-graders but is quick to admit she's too trusting and immediately speaks her mind.
"Negativity and people whining and complaining will drive me insane," Beebe says on her video. "In this process I'm telling myself to step back and think."