Deborah McGinn sets down her coffee mug and walks up to the three nursing students in Union College scrubs waiting in line at The Mill in College View.
She flashes a smile as bright as the August sun outside, then introduces herself.
Deborah McGinn
“If you ever need help with writing essays, I’ll be across the street,” says McGinn.
Once a teacher, always a teacher.
It’s just that now McGinn isn’t standing in front of her classroom at Lincoln High School, where she’s spent the past nearly 40 years in the English Department. There, she left an unmatched legacy, say her former students and colleagues, founding the city’s first ever slam poetry team and running the school’s literary magazine.
But her new role — a writing consultant at Union College — will still allow McGinn to do what’s she always loved: helping students discover the joys of writing.
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“I’m just meant to be with students,” she said. “That’s all there is to it.”
Born in O’Neill, McGinn spent her childhood in Lincoln, discovered a love of teaching by playing school with dolls and stuffed animals as students.
“It was a passion of hers,” her father, Jerry McGinn, said. “She just loves teaching.”
She always had a passion for writing and books, too, riding her bike to the spiffy new Gere Branch Library growing up.
“I read as many books as I could,” she said. “I did all those reading contests.”

Lincoln High School poetry slam members (from left) Elaine Samsel, Charlie Curtis-Beard, Itahi Sanchez (far right) and sponsor Deborah McGinn hold their first-place trophy after winning the High School Poetry Slam finals in April 2013.
But by the time she graduated from Pius X High School, McGinn wasn’t sure if teaching was the career for her. She originally planned on studying at Southeast Community College to be a dental assistant, and later advertising at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“But that voice was just like, ‘What am I doing?’ I want to teach,” McGinn said.
So she changed career paths — teaching English it was — and when it came to picking a school to do her practicum, she told her professor she wanted the best student-teaching experience she could get.
Go to Lincoln High, the professor said. McGinn did, and she never looked back.
Part of the reason she stayed was the supportive administration, she says, from Sam Nelson to Mike Wortman to Mark Larson. Part of it was the diversity of the students.
“She just loved to be at Lincoln High,” her father said. “It just fit.”
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Over the past 40 years, McGinn has left her footprint on central Lincoln’s high school, the city’s oldest, helping jumpstart the school’s International Baccalaureate program and running the literary magazine Scribe, even during the pandemic.
In 2011, she started a slam poetry team at Lincoln High, the first high school in Lincoln to have one. The team would go on to win three state championships.
All of it was on her own time.
“She wasn’t paid for Scribe. She wasn’t compensated for slam poetry,” said Shaunna Meyer, a former colleague in the social studies department. “She put enormous amounts of energy into it.”
As a student, Samantha Roblyer tried out for the slam poetry team her freshman year after taking McGinn’s honors English class.
Even though she struggled with a stutter, Roblyer said she was held to a higher expectation by McGinn in a way no other teacher had. Slam poetry eventually became an outlet to share her experiences with a speech impediment.
“It was incredibly affirming and to this day, I’m really grateful I was given that platform,” she said. “She was the reason we had it and the reason it kept going.”
McGinn’s classes were memorable, too, Roblyer said, especially one unit on “Romeo and Juliet.”
“She busted out a box of swords and crowns and masks and put on a parade pretty much for a solid week,” Roblyer said. “She was quite the gal.”
John Heineman was in the English department the same time as McGinn. He said McGinn’s creative writing class was “unmatched by anyone I’ve seen.”

John Heineman (left) and Deborah McGinn taught together at Lincoln High for decades.
“She always encouraged students to try new things and not be afraid of their voice,” said Heineman, who taught at Lincoln High for 32 years and retired last spring. “She built trust with them.”
Now, twice a week, McGinn makes the trip to Union College in her red Honda. It’s easy to spot with its S-C-R-I-B-E license plates.
In retirement, she’s found the perfect gig, she says.
The encore to a career of service to students.
“We have an expression at Lincoln High: Another Lincoln High job well done,” said Heineman. “She’s a classic example of that phrase.”
Top Journal Star Photos for September
Lincoln High players Adonis Hutchinson (2), Javon Leuty (22) and Beni Ngoyi (8) walk out of the tunnel before taking on Omaha Northwest on Friday at Beechner Complex.

Nebraska’s Madi Kubik (top left) reacts after a kill by teammate Lindsay Krause (center) against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.

Danish artist Julie Sass works Wednesday to assemble her show, “IMAGE: temporary constellation,” at Fiendish Plots at 2130 Magnum Circle.
Nebraska’s Nicklin Hames (center) reacts after a serve by Lexi Rodriguez (right) won the second set for the Huskers at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.

A airman walks along the wing of now retired WC-135C/W, during a retirement ceremony for the final “nuke sniffer” aircraft used by The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth at the Lincoln Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Lincoln, NE. The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special-purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and used by the United States Air Force. Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the “weather bird” or “the sniffer” by workers on the program and international media respectively. The 55th Wing will retired one of it jets and welcomed its latest during a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Lincoln Airport. The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth officially retired the WC-135C/W and officially welcomed WC-135R tail number 4836 to its fleet. Tail 4836 is the first of three WC-135R deliveries to the wing, while tail 2667 is the last of the old WC-135C/W fleet to be retired.

Construction of the new football training complex has progressed to the point that fans will be able to access the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium this season.
Nebraska’s Anthony Grant (left) tries to break loose from North Dakota’s Marcus Vaughn-Jones (9) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln North Star’s Jace Coleman (14) is tackled by Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Field.
Nebraska’s Bekka Allick (left) and Nicklin Hames celebrate after a Husker kill against Mississippi in the second set at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.

Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann takes the field before the game against North Dakota on Saturday. Hausmann, a true freshman, played 40 snaps in the game.

Nebraska’s Lexi Rodriguez (center left) and Madi Kubik (top right) celebrate with their team Kubik’s match-ending kill against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska edge rusher Garrett Nelson walks off the field after the Huskers’ win against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Mario Garcia of Lincoln, a passenger on the first flight to Houston early Friday, picks up souvenirs at Lincoln Airport’s first flight ceremony.
Nebraska running back Ajay Allen celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska’s Lindsay Krause (22) hits a ball past Creighton defenders on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks with North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert before Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska’s bench reacts to a play during the match against Creighton on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Fans arrive at Memorial Stadium before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln North Star players celebrate after winning a softball game against Lincoln Pius X Thursday at Doris Bair Softball Complex.

Shawna Fosket holds a Super Punch, a punch needle tool she’s worked to develop. A Kickstarter campaign has raised almost $6,000.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost high-fives a young fan before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln Southeast’s Henry Woods (top) is brought down by Lincoln East’s Carter Tempelmeyer on Friday at Seacrest Field.
A first-quarter moon rises over Memorial Stadium toward the end of the Nebraska-North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln High’s Faith Van Eck (left) attempts to block Lincoln Northeast’s Genna LeMay in the second set at Lincoln Northeast on Tuesday.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost walks off the field after the Huskers lost to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

S-E-M’s Creyton Line (left) grabs the helmet of Parkview Christian’s Alex Rohrbaugh on Friday, Sept. 9, at Larry and Carol Frost Field.

Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook (left) talks with Tyler Hildebrand, Long Beach State’s head coach and a former assistant at Nebraska under Cook, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.

Nebraska’s Kaitlyn Hord celebrates after scoring a point against Long Beach State on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.

Eli Soell of Lincoln (right) celebrates a Nebraska touchdown against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

Georgia Southern’s Kyle Vantrease leaps over Nebraska’s Ernest Hausmann (bottom left) and Luke Reimer (bottom center) to score the game-winning touchdown on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

A look at Nebraska’s light show after the third quarter of the Georgia Southern game Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

Scott Frost enters a truck to exit Memorial Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 11, after he was fired as Nebraska’s head football coach.

Ashland-Greenwood’s Dane Jacobsen practices throws during warmups before the Bluejays’ game against Aurora on Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.

Aurora’s Carlos Collazo (left) is tackled by Ashland-Greenwood’s Logan Sobota (center) and Thomas Spears (right) during a run in the second quarter Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.

Lincoln North Star’s Dylan Hallett (3) tackles Kearney’s Kole Throckmorton (91) on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Seacrest Field.

Lincoln Southwest’s Jack Baptista (3) dives for the pylon against Lincoln East on Friday, Sept. 9, at Seacrest Field.

Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer (3) can’t pull in a pass against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

A Nebraska fan reacts to a missed field goal as time expired in the Huskers’ 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.

Sam Simpson on Friday walks through a field of U.S. flags set up in memory of those who died on 9/11, Friday, Sept. 9. Volunteers placed 2,977 flags at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s East Campus and wrote thank you cards for local firefighters, law enforcement and residents at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System.
Contact the writer at [email protected] or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS