Lake View Librarian Named Region 15 Secondary Teacher of the Year

SAN ANGELO, TX – Lake View High School librarian Allison Peterson was recently named the Region 15 Secondary Teacher of the Year.  Peterson was selected as the Lake View High School Teacher of the Year in the spring and was named the San Angelo ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year in May.

A third-generation educator, Peterson began her career at Lake View in 1994, teaching inclusion and resource English classes for thirteen years. She received a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas in 2011. 

According to the American Association of School Librarians, "The school librarian empowers all members of the learning community to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, curators and ethical users of information." Mrs. Peterson strives to achieve this every day.  In addition to library duties, she oversees the distribution, collection and storage of textbooks, serves as the yearbook bookkeeper, assists with the campus Credit Recovery program, and provides on-campus technical support. Mrs. Peterson serves on the Process Champions team and Safety Committee at Lake View. She also assists with the Student Ambassador/Face of Lake View group and serves on the district's Connect+ committee.

Mrs. Peterson consistently designs fun and effective ways to foster a love of reading. One such example is a project she designed based upon the concept of "speed dating." Each student has a short time to interact with a book before moving on to "dates" with different books, some of which they might not have given a second look before. According to Mrs. Peterson, "at the end of the class period, each student has interacted with ten to twelve very different books, and has hopefully found one he or she would like to get to know a little better, and maybe even come to love." 

Mrs. Peterson is described by her peers as having a love for her students, teaching, and the entire Lake View family. "In public education, we should encourage all students to find their strengths and passions, develop the skills necessary to excel in those areas, inspire them to pursue their dreams, and guide them to become eager, life-long learners who, in turn, become contributing members of society," said Mrs. Peterson. "When they leave high school, students should believe that all careers are noble and that every worker is essential."

As Region 15 Teacher of the Year, Peterson is one of twenty secondary teachers vying for the State Secondary Teacher of the Year title. This fall, three secondary finalists will be selected and interviewed by the Texas Association of School Administrators prior to naming the state recipient.