With the beginning of the new school year, Marietta High School welcomes a new
administrative team. Natalie Haworth will be the new principal, and Sebastian Cifuentes
will serve as the site’s assistant principal.
Haworth is a graduate of Durant High School who earned a bachelor’s degree in
science education and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from
Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. She is currently working towards
her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Oklahoma.
“I chose to pursue a career in education because it has always been evident to me how
much opportunity education can provide, regardless of circumstances, especially when
a focus on quality and equitable education is available,” she said. “I had teachers who
positively impacted me that I will remember for the rest of my life, and my mom served
as the director of Upward Bound programs at Southeastern for a lot of my life.
“I believe in the power of public education, and I believe that all students deserve every
opportunity that education can provide for them,” she insisted.
Haworth brings experience to Marietta, both as a classroom teacher and an
administrator. She has taught science subjects in middle and high school levels at
Monroney Middle School in Midwest City and in the Durant Public School system,
where she was selected as a state teacher of the year finalist.
“As a classroom teacher, I quickly discovered that while I loved being in education and
impacting students in the classroom, I believed I could be even more impactful in an
administrative position,” explained Haworth.
Haworth served for three years as an assistant principal for Yukon High School before
applying for the head principal’s position at Marietta.
“I was familiar with the town and school district because I have family and friends in the
area,” Haworth stated, “but what ultimately attracted me to apply at Marietta was the
strong sense of community and the hometown feel. I was impressed by the passion of
the staff and the pride individuals had both in the school and the community. These
align with my own leadership and educational philosophies, and I am excited to be at
Marietta.”
Haworth looks forward to building relationships with students, staff, families, and
community members while working towards student success.
“As principal, I am excited to celebrate the great things already happening at Marietta
while also collaborating with stakeholders to identify opportunities for growth,” Haworth
concluded. “I look forward to becoming an active part of the community and helping
create an environment where every student feels supported, challenged, and inspired to
reach their full potential.”
As the assistant principal, Cifuentes will be in his first position as an administrator after
having taught five years of Spanish and physical education classes at Plainview.
After graduating from Pauls Valley High School, Cifuentes earned his bachelor’s degree
from East Central University and his master’s degree from Southeastern Oklahoma
State University.
“I enjoyed teaching for five years, but I realized I wanted to have a bigger impact on the
entire school. As an administrator, I get the chance to support students, teachers, and
families every day,” Cifuentes stated. “I enjoy building relationships, helping solve
problems, and doing whatever I can to make the school a positive place for all.”
Cifuentes is married to a Marietta girl, Lupita Gomez, who graduated from MHS in 2018,
so he was familiar with the community, even though that wasn’t the main reason he
applied for the position.
“What really drew me to Marietta was the opportunity to be a part of a school where I
could become involved in the community,” he said. “Family and community have always
been important to me, and the opportunity to come to Marietta, to serve in a new role,
and to be a leader in a community that values its schools was something I felt called to
do.”
Cifuentes looks forward to being part of the Marietta family.
“We are excited to have Ms. Haworth and Mr. Cifuentes on campus and look forward to
seeing what they can accomplish,” said Superintendent Brandi Naylor. “They have great
plans for the high school, and their enthusiasm is catching on quickly with teachers and
students. We’re looking forward to a great year and a bright future with both of them
here in our school district.”