Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

On behalf of the entire Von Steuben Middle School staff, we are excited to welcome you to the 2024 – 2025 school year! It is an honor to be joining the Von Steuben Vikings as your principal. Over 30 years ago, I served as a pre-student teacher at Von Steuben Middle School. I fell in love with Von Steuben and Peoria Public Schools during that brief experience. When I graduated from college, I joined Peoria Public Schools and have served here ever since. It is very special for me to be returning to a place that was so instrumental in my career.

The mission of Von Steuben Middle School is to guarantee each student will develop a strong academic and social foundation to meet the challenges in an ever-changing society by providing a safe, positive learning environment; creating partnerships among students, families, staff and community members; preparing students for transition to high school; honoring diversity and ensuring a staff dedicated to professional growth and student learning. This mission will guide our work this year.

Our staff has prepared together to provide our students with a supportive environment through professional development opportunities. We will ask our students to work very hard academically and provide them with support to do so. We commit to celebrating our successes and working to improve our challenges. As we strive to reach and exceed our goals, we need you on our team!

As we partner with you, we ask that you help us to reinforce three important factors for our success with your children.

1. Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience.

2. Persevere when what we are asked to do becomes really challenging.

3. Understand and follow all school rules while in the building.

In closing, I look forward to sharing the adventure of this school year with you. Working together with our students as the primary focus of our efforts, I know we can achieve our goals. Please reach out to me if I can be of assistance to you at any point throughout this year.