Caledonia — Throughout her career in education, Peggy McCormick has prioritized supporting the whole child.
With extensive experience leading Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs, she wants to see her students succeed academically, as well as socially and emotionally.
“I hope to bring my skills and what I know about MTSS and continue to build on that,” she said. “I want to learn more about what (Caledonia High School) has already implemented and what other supports we can provide for students, academic, social and emotional; how do we help the whole child?”
She is joining fellow assistant principals Jim Crites and Olivia Johnson and interim principal Jeremy Palmitier at CHS for a new year in a new district. McCormick previously spent 21 years of her 23-year education career in Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
“It was really hard to leave an incredible staff I’ve worked with for over 20 years,” she said. “I’ve gotten to know my team here in Caledonia and I’m excited to be a part of the community.”
Get to know McCormick in this edition of Meet Your Administrators:
Other positions you have held in education:
- Assistant principal at Lee Middle and High School in Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
- Dean of students at Lee Middle School
- Sixth-grade social studies and world geography teacher at Lee Middle School
- High school social studies teacher at East Lee Campus
- Cultural Diversity, Career Exploration and Social Skills instructor at Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Grand Valley State University
- Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from GVSU
What drew you to Caledonia High School? Word of open administrator positions travels fast in the education community, McCormick said. She heard about the CHS opening earlier this year and decided to “throw my hat in the ring.” She also knew the district’s superintendent, Dirk Weeldreyer, from his time serving as interim superintendent at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
“I was reaching a point where I had been in one district for so long that I needed a change,” she said. “I’m excited to go to all of Caledonia’s events and to see kids outside of school. There is not a lot of time to talk and get to know the kids during the school day and they’re the reason I’m here.”
What would you like to share about your family? McCormick and her husband, Derek, are celebrating 20 years of marriage. They met while attending GVSU and now have two children together: a daughter who just started her senior year and a son who is a freshman.
“We don’t have a lot of family in the West Michigan area, so we like to spend our summers traveling around Michigan and seeing family in northern Wisconsin.”
What ideas or strategies will you bring to CCS from your last job? “Anxiety is a big problem and shows differently in high school (than in middle school.) There is academic pressure and anxiety about grades, deciding what they need to do right after graduation, pressure to take AP classes and the pressure is real. I want to try and see how we can address that anxiety. …Overall, I love getting into different classrooms and seeing different styles of teaching. I love to sit down and take it all in.”
Describe your leadership style: “I like to see myself as transparent, a strong communicator, someone who is there to support and is open to new ideas.”
What are some of the great things about going into K-12 education? “There are a lot of good things happening in public education, like how social and emotional learning is being looked at and ways we are supporting kids beyond academics to develop their social and emotional well-being.”
What book, movie, TV show or podcast have you loved lately? “I like to read. I just finished ‘The Calamity Club’ (by Kathryn Stockett,) which I really liked, and read ‘The Lies They Told’ (by Ellen Marie Wiseman) this summer. I’m old school and like to listen to Michigan Public Radio on my drives to and from work. My brain needs calm in the morning; I can’t listen to music.”
When McCormick does listen to music, she said her tastes are “all over the place.” This summer, she saw Alabama Shakes, Kesha and Ed Sheeran in concert, demonstrating her wide range of musical appreciation.
Read more from Caledonia:
• Former assistant AD taking on interim principal role
• School safety officers sharpen de-escalation skills ahead of new school year
