05/29/2026
A message from Mr. Owsley-
Dear Cave Creek Community,
Summers offer a chance to reflect, to dream, to adjust, and to design. As a sort of base camp, summer is another opportunity for clarity, planning and preparation to close the gap between the ending of one year and the vision for the future, to ensure that we reach the summit. It is with this reflection and a thoughtful eye on the future that I write this.
For over fifteen years, my heart has found its home at the base of Black Mountain. Serving as the principal of Black Mountain Elementary School is one of the greatest blessings of my life, a calling that shapes every decision I make for our children. I want you to know, deeply and clearly, that I am here for the long haul. There is something profoundly beautiful about staying, about planting your feet in the soil you know and tending it with hope. Real growth does not come from endlessly searching for greener fields. It comes from nurturing the ground beneath us until it blooms. I carry a deep pride in choosing to stay, and I know I am surrounded by others who feel the same. People deeply committed to our children, our schools, and the community we are honored to serve.
One of the greatest strengths of a district like ours is that we are small enough to truly know one another. Here, our students are not anonymous faces passing through a system. They are known not just by name, but by heart. There is an overwhelming sense of joy and purpose when I watch our littlest students step onto this campus for the very first time, and an even greater pride as I watch those same children grow, eventually walking across the Cactus Shadows High School graduation stage, and charting their paths into the world beyond. Because I care so deeply about their lives, I care infinitely about the future of CCUSD. Fueled by this passion, I will continue to work tirelessly, pouring everything I have into ensuring that what comes next for our district represents the absolute best years for our kids.
When I walk the hallways of Black Mountain, see our amazing teachers impact the lives of our students, and welcome our amazingly supportive community and families into our campus, I am looking at the very soul of Cave Creek. I see a living, breathing continuation of a long, beautiful tradition of generations of families who love their children fiercely, and neighbors who gather to build milestones out of hope. Our history is the steady heartbeat of who we are today, and it is the absolute promise of what we will achieve tomorrow.
Our story first began along the dusty trails of early Cave Creek many years ago, in 1886. Our foundation was a single, one-room wooden schoolhouse, built to serve a small handful of homesteading and ranching families. As the geography of our town shifted and grew, that little schoolhouse was moved three different times. It was a nomadic testament to a community determined to keep education exactly where its families needed it most.
In 1913, the district was forced to close its doors. Yet, that challenge only revealed the enduring landscape of Cave Creek’s character. Resilience is woven directly into our DNA. By 1930, the community rose up, fueled by an absolute, collective hope. Neighbors joined hands, rebuilding the school entirely with their own donated labor and materials, ensuring the light of education would burn bright for generations to come.
From a one-room schoolhouse to one of Arizona’s highest-performing school districts, our story has always been about a community that came together for our children. As our town grew, so did our promise, creating more space to learn, more opportunities to thrive, and a future built on heart, hope, and an unwavering commitment to kids. When you look back at that journey, you should feel a deep, overwhelming pride in Cave Creek. The exact same spirit that animated those early settlers, the grit, the unconditional love, and the absolute determination to lift up our youth, is the very same spirit alive inside you and me in this moment.
Recently, we have felt history mirror those early days. We have navigated our own school closures, structural shifts, and elements of change. Yet, our history leaves us an inspiring, comforting blueprint. Every time we face a challenge, it becomes the exact moment where this community steps in to dream bigger, lean closer into one another, and build back stronger, more resilient, and more vibrant than ever before.
My confidence in our future is unwavering because I witness the pure dedication that blankets our district every single day. We are surrounded by countless teachers, staff members, and leaders who choose to stay right here, anchoring our schools with their passion. They pour their entire hearts into our kids and stand firmly by them year after year. Over the decades, incredible educators have built a foundation of pure love and legacy here.
And now, I am deeply blessed to walk this path alongside amazing, passionate leaders, and am incredibly fortunate to welcome Dr. Regan to walk alongside us with her wealth of great experience. After spending time with her, I have full, sincere confidence in her leadership, in our returning staff, and in the bright, hopeful vision we are bringing to life together.
Just like in 1930, we need your hands and your hearts. Our community is, and has always been, the beating heart of our schools. We are carrying a sacred torch passed down by the ranchers, homesteaders, and neighbors who carved this district out of the desert with their own two hands. We are a district grounded in purpose, defined by connection, commitment, and collaboration. Through conviction, dedication, and true partnership, we control what happens next.
I look ahead with nothing but joy, profound hope, and an absolute belief in CCUSD and this community. My life remains dedicated to this work, to our schools, and to your children. Thank you for standing with us, for loving our schools, and for helping us shape a future for Cave Creek that is our brightest, happiest, and most beautiful yet. The best is truly yet to come.
Matt Owsley
Proud Principal
Black Mountain Elementary School
Cave Creek Unified School District
Cave Creek Unified School DistrictCave Creek MuseumCarefree/Cave Creek Chamber of CommerceECS - Education and Community Services Cave CreekCave Creek Unified Education FoundationCave Creek Education AssociationCactus Shadows High School PTOKiwanis Club of Carefree, AZTown of CarefreeArizona Department of EducationSonoran Trails Middle SchoolFalcons Athletic Club - CSHS Boosters
