Nick Peruski is committed to preparing his students to thrive in the working world. Coordinator of the career and technical education (CTE) department at Lakeland High School in White Lake, Michigan, Peruski is a strong advocate for non-college alternatives. He brings people in a wide variety of careers and industries into his classroom, both in person and via Skype, to introduce students to as many options as possible. Students in Peruski’s project-based classroom write and present business plans through Virtual Enterprises International, an educational nonprofit that offers business courses for students. Peruski has presented at the district level about the value of CTE and takes students to visit businesses on field trips, including some in New York City. He uses social media to highlight the action in his classroom, eager to keep parents, the community and former students engaged. Peruski helps students with their resumes, coaches them in mock interviews and connects students with job opportunities in the community.
Peruski is known as an outside-the-box thinker dedicated to helping students learn and succeed. In his previous role leading the math department at nearby Muir Middle School, Peruski advocated for and piloted standards-based grading, now used throughout the building. He has served on building and district committees focused on instructional technology, evaluation, policy advocacy and finance. A respected teacher leader, Peruski mentors new teachers and coaches veterans. He participated in the Galileo Leadership Consortium; taught at China’s University of Science and Technology in Beijing, where he developed curriculum for an international school; and presented at an international conference in Lithuania.
A deep believer in equality and respect for all students, Peruski advises LINK, Lakeland’s student peer mentoring program. Students feel they can trust and confide in him. Peruski holds high expectations for his pupils, but they eagerly stretch to meet them.
Peruski earned a bachelor’s in integrated science in 2010, a master’s in instructional technology in 2015 from Eastern Michigan University, and an Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership in 2019 from Oakland University.
Press release: Focusing Students' Career Options Lands Teacher Nick Peruski a $25,000 Milken Educator Award
2022 Ed.D., Organizational Leadership, Oakland University
