Washington Student Council Announces 2026–2027 AWOL Recipient: Savanna Walkup Roof

WASHINGTON, OKLA. — Every year, the Washington Student Council asks our community to help us answer one very important question: Who needs their Warrior family to rally around them?

 

This year, the answer came through loud and clear.

 

The Washington Student Council is honored to announce Savanna Walkup Roof as the 2026–2027 AWOL recipient.

 

Each year, nominations are accepted from members of our community, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who takes the time to share the stories of families who may need the support of AWOL. This year, the majority of nominations received were for Savanna.

 

Savanna is a young mother of four, a lifelong member of the Washington community, and a nonsmoker with no prior history that would have prepared her family for the diagnosis they recently received. Savanna has been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with an EGFR mutation.

She is receiving treatment primarily at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, while also receiving care at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma. Together, these medical teams are working to provide Savanna with the best care possible as she faces the road ahead.

 

But to Washington, Savanna is so much more than a diagnosis.

She is one of our own.

Savanna’s family moved to Washington when she was in the third grade. She grew up in our schools and graduated from Washington High School in 2004. Along the way, Washington teachers helped inspire her to become a teacher herself.

After teaching in a different community for three years, Savanna and her family knew where they wanted to raise their children.

They came home to Washington.

Today, Savanna and her husband are raising four Warriors: Colton, a sixth grader; Grayson, a fourth grader; Kylie, a first grader; and Carson, a Pre-K student.

Their family is deeply woven into the Washington community. Their children are active in Washington Little League basketball, baseball, and soccer. Their dad, Jeremy, coaches many of their teams, and Savanna has always been there, cheering from the sidelines, supporting her children and being part of the community that surrounds them.

 

Now it is our turn to stand on the sidelines for her.

 

No family ever wants to find themselves in a position to be considered for AWOL.

Being nominated for AWOL is not an honor a family ever hopes to receive. It comes during a season of life no family would choose for themselves. But the gratitude that comes with knowing an entire community has seen your struggle, chosen to stand beside you, and said, “You do not have to carry this alone,” is difficult to put into words.

That is where the hope of AWOL begins.

It is the assurance that when life suddenly becomes heavier than one family should have to carry alone, an entire community is willing to step in and help carry it.

Because of the incredible participation of our students, families, businesses, alumni, and community members, AWOL has allowed us to do things that once seemed impossible. Year after year, our students have watched an entire community come together and learned that when enough people are willing to give, serve, and care, the impossible can become possible.

And that is our goal again this year.

Fundraising efforts for the Roof family will begin soon, and a donation link has already been established for anyone who would like to begin supporting the family. By clicking the donation link, individuals, families, and businesses can make a donation to sponsor the Roof family and support this year’s AWOL efforts.

Donations of $100 or more will receive recognition on the back of the official 2026–2027 AWOL T-shirt.

 

Additional fundraising events, activities, and opportunities to support Savanna and her family will be announced soon. Every donation, every sponsorship, and every act of support matters. Check back to this AWOL page to stay informed. 

 

To everyone who will donate, participate, volunteer, sponsor, share a fundraiser, purchase an item, attend an event, or simply keep this family in your thoughts and prayers, thank you.

Thank you for continuing to believe in what our students can accomplish.

Thank you for helping us make the impossible possible.

 

This year, we are AWOL for Savanna.

Warriors take care of Warriors.

For questions regarding AWOL, donations or upcoming fundraising opportunities, please contact Washington Student Council Sponsor Amy Larman at alarman@wps-isd.com or Co-Sponsor Robyne Cox at rrox@wps-isd.com. You may also call 405-288-2428 and ask to speak with either sponsor.