Mrs. Lacey Peckham has been the principal of Middle Creek High School since 2020. Although you may have seen her pop into your classroom or roaming through the hallways, here are some things you might not know about her.
Born in the month of February, Mrs. Peckham's childhood was very busy. Her family of four moved to a lot of different places until the end of middle school, when they settled in Pennsylvania. With her moving to places like Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas, being involved in sports and activities really helped her to make friends. Mrs. Peckham and Daniel, her younger brother of 18 months, were close. She has one daughter, Kinsey, who is in 2nd grade and loves when her and Daniel’s kid have a playdate. She considers herself an introvert. “As I enjoy being with people, I still need time alone to recuperate from all the busyness that comes along with my job.”
In high school, Mrs. Peckham was super involved, playing basketball, field hockey, and cheerleading. She loved every aspect about school, from the learning, the clubs, sports, and even figuring out what she was going to be.
In order to become a principal, she had to teach first. She originally went to NC State for Spanish Education and taught for six years. She describes her teaching style as “strategic and invested.”She said, “I really enjoyed it, even thought about continuing,” but she knew she had a goal to become a principal.
She wants to do things that point this school into the right direction. What makes her unique? She tells me that being a principal fuels her, and she has good energy. “I feel like I am a hard worker, and I don't think you can get to this spot and not be a hard worker. I am an achiever and I take things to a high level and get a lot done.”
She is proud of attaining her goal of being a principal, and especially here at Middle Creek. Back in 2014 she was an assistant principal at Middle Creek and wanted to eventually become the principal here, and now she is! Thus far she has managed to survive the pandemic and continues to keep the school thriving under the craziest circumstances.
When I asked her what motivates her to work hard, she mentioned that she is always looking for ways to improve the high school environment, the student experience, and even students themselves. With that goal in mind, it motivates Mrs. Peckham to always be looking for ways to improve in what she does.
One thing that will always put Mrs. Peckham in a good mood is “visiting classrooms and seeing students and interacting with teachers.” Anytime her office work gets stressful, walking around and seeing students engaged in work helps. Mrs. Peckham told me she really appreciates a good meme, and Mr. Shipp’s jokes can always make her laugh. And her comfort food is a bagel and cream cheese!
Mrs. Peckham loves this school and watching students engage in things that interest them and get them excited, whether it's in-class learning, playing sports, engaging in clubs, or participating in the Arts programs.
I hope this article helped you learn a little bit more about Principal Peckham than you knew before. If you haven’t met Mrs. Peckham yet, I highly encourage you to do so! She’s a great leader of The Creek.