Assistant Principal Megan Park’s leadership has contributed to a positive climate and culture at Gannett Peak Elementary School. Park is highly visible in the school community, greeting staff and students in hallways and classrooms with contagious enthusiasm, conducting regular classroom walk-throughs, and adeptly addressing instructional needs throughout the school day. Her passion for fostering professional, academic and personal growth is evident in everything she does, from helping lead professional development and building individual relationships with colleagues, students and families to participating in sporting events and recitals.
A former classroom and special education teacher, Park is largely credited for helping to ensure requisite structures and supports for meeting student needs. She works regularly with the school Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) coordinator on strengthening reading and math interventions and administering diagnostic tests to provide high-quality, tailored instruction. Park has also helped to increase positive student behavior. She has provided teachers with tools through implementation of a social and emotional learning program as well as organized a book study on school discipline. Her efforts have contributed to a notable decrease in students needing tier 2 and 3 interventions as well as strengthened communication and support through community circles.
Park brings her data-driven mindset to the school professional learning community (PLC), where faculty uses student work to enhance teaching practices, inform decision-making and create a learning environment of high expectations with opportunities for everyone to excel. She is active on the school’s leadership team and school improvement team, and committees on curriculum alignment. Park has mentored student teachers, motivates colleagues, and engages with the Parents Interested in Education (PIE) group on campus.
Always one to make education memorable, Park can be found dressed up on assessment days to promote positivity and confidence around achievement. At the state level, Park participates in the Wyoming Department of Education Level Up Leadership Group dedicated to enhancing the capabilities of education professionals through targeted leadership development that builds impactful leaders in the field. As she continues to broaden her reach, Park remains focused on her individual impact on students: The ceiling in her office showcases tiles to represent each class she has served.
Park earned her Bachelor of Science in special education in 2010 from Montana State University and her Master of Arts in 2020 from Western Governors University.
Press release: Lander Educator Surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award for Transformative Leadership and Community Impact
