The Glenbard community deeply appreciates our Community Relations Coordinator, Ms. Peg Mannion. The student body, teachers and families are eternally grateful for all her hard work and dedication. As she retires and concludes her journey this year, we reflect on all the things she has done to bring our community closer to the student body of District 87.
Ms. Mannion assisted in many ways to connect the people within our district and community. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in journalism through Northern Illinois University. Early in her career she was an education reporter with Suburban Life Newspaper. During her time as a journalist, she would visit schools in Dupage and Cook County to write informative education based articles. In order to write these articles, Ms. Mannion would work with school officials in a school environment. She was captivated by the school setting and decided she wanted to be a part of the education community.
Ms. Mannion has belonged to a couple organizations over the years, her role in each of them being: former board Member for Illinois Chapter of National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and former Vice President of NSPRA. She is now a part of what we are all very familiar with, Glenbard News. All students could say with confidence that they are very well informed by the plethora of emails sent by Ms. Mannion through Glenbard news. Glenbard News is a very informative source for current events involving the school and community. The readers of this newsletter are not only the students of District 87, but also their families, Alumni, staff and residents of neighborhoods where the student body resides. Glenbard communities are informed through this newsletter about information related to the Glenbard schools.
Ms. Mannion works closely with governmental agencies in the community in order to achieve successful engagement with the community. Those government agencies include representatives of the village, public schools, library, park districts, and the police and fire departments. People from these organizations come together and discuss village matters.
Although Ms. Mannion does not work closely with any of the Glenbard student bodies, her usual work takes place in the district office with administration and teachers. Another project Ms. Mannion has participated in was the profile of a graduate. The profile of a graduate is made up of characteristics to describe Glenbard graduates. It was developed with input from a survey shared with students, staff and community members, as well as the work of the Profile of a Graduate Committee, a group of 64 students, parents, community members, teachers, administrators and Board of Education members.
Some things Ms. Mannion deeply appreciates about all of the Glenbard schools is the students’ and teachers’ passion through the many clubs presented through the schools. She particularly is very impressed with the performing arts segment at each Glenbard. She believes that it is greatly inspiring to see that teenage students will get up and sing solos in front of a large audience. West has many groups and clubs, but “wherever it may be, the work and dedication here is very inspiring.” Ms. Mannion also takes the time to highlight features that are unique to West; such as our field hockey, participation in multi-cultural nights, and our exclusive radio station.
As Ms. Mannion steps down from her role of being a community relations coordinator within our district, she will always appreciate her sense of belonging with the “exceptional collaborative group of people” she worked with through the years.
