News Releases
April Employee of the Month: Peggy Peak
Fifth-sixth grade teacher, Jane Addams School
A passion for teaching (especially math) and a determination to meet the needs of all levels of her students make Peggy Peak, fifth-sixth grade teacher at Jane Addams, someone her peers look to as a leader.
"Peggy is truly dedicated to making Jane Addams a quality school," her nominator said. "She exhibits a willingness to help any staff member or students with a problem. She is always sharing ideas." Peggy is also highly regarded for her organization skills.
In addition to teaching her own students, Peggy has set a professional goal of helping to raise the school's test scores in math. She teaches an accelerated math class and is on the writing committee for the math learner statements. She's a member of the district's Curriculum Advisory Committee and for several years, she sponsored the Yearbook Club. She also coordinates the school's every-other-year outdoor education overnight trip for fifth and sixth graders.
"We believe Peggy will always go above and beyond the call of duty," her nominators said. "She is truly a quality teacher and co-worker."
Peggy has been with Jane Addams and District 15 for 8 years. In her first year, she taught fourth grade, but she's been teaching fifth and sixth since then. Before coming to the district, she spent five years in the business world, selling copper and brass for a Scandinavian company. Prior to that, she taught seventh and eighth grades, primarily math, at St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Chicago and St. Victor's Catholic School in Calumet City.
"The sales job was fun, but I missed teaching," she commented. She went back to college and earned a master's degree in math education from Northeastern Illinois to complement her bachelor's degree in education from Northern Illinois.
Peggy and her husband Keith, a math teacher and coach at Hoffman Estates High School, love to travel, especially in the Rocky Mountains in Montana and Wyoming and to Florida. They also enjoy camping on a lot they own on a lake in Wisconsin. Peggy's hobbies include reading—she particularly likes mysteries—and cross-stitch.
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