"I want to help students become dreamers," says Barbara Chiles, who teaches physical education to grades six through eight at Westmer Secondary School in Joy. By six in the morning, Ms. Chiles is already at school, fresh and ready to go. As a physical education teacher, she feels that it is important that she be the "epitome of personal health and fitness." In 1986, in the midst of climbing Mt. Rainier, Ms. Chiles had an idea that she later developed into Challenges Unlimited, a program that has received state and national recognition. "The purpose of the program," she says, "is to give the students the opportunity to set long-term physical goals, establish a training program, and attain their goal." The training session lasts for eight months, and students are encouraged to live by a motto that urges them to "Rise Above the Ordinary." Mrs. Chiles is careful, however, to tailor the program to the individual students abilities and interests. She is primarily interested in seeing students surpass their own expectations. "I am an 'awakener,'" she says.
1970 University of Iowa, B.A.
M.S. in athletic administration Western Illinois University
Elected in 2011 and 2015 to Mercer County School District Board of Education
Elected to the Mercer County School District Board of Education 2011 and 2015